


One Week

by Cheeyathebard



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 04:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7561192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheeyathebard/pseuds/Cheeyathebard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story takes place after the season 1 finale. It contains comedy, drama and hopefully a few aww moments. It's also a SUPERCAT story like mine mostly are! It gets a little explicit in later chapters so fair warning but nothing really smutty. I really hope you like it. It took me a long time to be happy enough with it. As usual, the characters are not mine! Shamelessly borrowed!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sunday

"Beeeaaauuuutiful day for flying! Hey Alex, want to see a movie tonight? And eat sushi? You owe me dinner, you know!"

Agent Danvers crossed her arms. "You're in a good mood, Supergirl" she replied, tucking her dark hair behind her ear and adjusting her earpiece slightly. "And yes, I know I owe you dinner."

Twenty thousand feet up, Supergirl spread out her arms and lazily rolled her body through the air. Her cape billowed behind her as the sun caught the blonde highlights in her hair and a happy smile lit her face, glinting in her blue eyes. Spotting a plane, she sped up and, for a while flew alongside it, waving to the pilots and passengers who had their noses glued to the oval windows. "Awww…"

"What?" Alex asked as she studied the radar screen.

"People on a plane waving to me. And some kids. They're so cute. Oh… I think they're girl scouts actually." She flew closer and offered a big smile to the passengers taking pictures and then with a final wave, she changed course and headed back towards the DEO base. Minutes later, Kara dropped into the landing bay to find her sister waiting for her and gave her a bear hug, wrapping her up playfully inside her cape and kissing her cheek. "Whassup, Sista?"

Alex laughed. "Kara, what is going on with you today? Do I need to check you for alien DNA… oh wait…" She bumped her sister's shoulder playfully.

Supergirl grinned. "I'm just happy. We beat Non and his minions, saved the world from Myriad and Cat gave me a promotion. What's not to be happy about?!"

They headed for the mess hall where Kara poured them both a cup of coffee. "Yuck, cold," Alex grimaced as she took a sip of hers. Then she held out the cup. "Please?"

"Sure," Kara used her heat vision to warm up both cups. "So, we were discussing movies and sushi?"

"Romance?" Alex suggested.

"Action," Kara disagreed.

"Thriller?"

"Horror!"

Alex laughed again. "And this is why the Danvers sisters don't often go to the movies. Hey, what about that superhero one that just started?"

Kara perched her fists on her hips. "Dude. Really?"

From his position in the corridor, J'onn J'onzz smiled at the playful banter between the sisters. He had come to love these two women like they were his own daughters but he had a job to do.

"Supergirl?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"You're needed."

"What's up?"

"You should probably uh… see for yourself."

Kara joined the agents as they moved quickly to the command center and she leaned on the console as she examined the monitors. "Volcano. Wow. Not good."

"Yes, especially since it's only about fifty miles from the largest city in Montegrande."

"Why do people build cities next to these things?!" Kara exclaimed. "Ok, I've never stopped a volcano before. Suggestions?"

"Well first…" J'onn explained. "It's just starting to escalate but, when it erupts, it's going to produce a pyroclastic cloud that will reach and level the city within minutes. We have to give people as much warning as possible if they have to evacuate."

"I should go then. What's the plan? Can I just… like… put a plug in the crater… or something?"

"No more disaster movies for you." Alex replied with a teasing grin and a little shake of her head. "No, the pressure would just build until it dislodged the obstruction. You'd only buy them a few hours. I hate to say it, Kara, but you're going to have to get inside and cool it down enough to calm it."

"Will that even work?" Kara replied, skeptically. "Won't the temperature thaw it quicker than I can freeze it?"

"That's why you're going to have to close the breach first so that no new magma can rise to the surface. After that, you can try using your freeze breath to solidify the lava."

"Wait, so you're basically saying that you want me to fly…" Kara made the action with her hand, brow scrunched. "…into the volcano, find the breach, seal it up, stop the lava and then freeze breath the inside?" She rolled her eyes. "That doesn't sound difficult at ALL."

"And without contact with us. Your earpiece is not going to stand up to the heat," Agent Vasquez added sympathetically. "Plus you won't be able to speak once you're under the surface of the lava… and you're going to have to hold your breath the whole time you're figuring out what to do."

Supergirl crossed her arms and looked between J'Onn, Vasquez and her sister. "Can… can I stand up to the heat? How hot will it be?"

Alex looked down. "Normally about a thousand degrees but it can reach over two thousand depending on how well insulated it is. Kara, I THINK you'll be ok but…"

Supergirl held up her hand with a smile, stopping her sister. "You know what? I can't catch on fire so there's only one way to find out my heat tolerance, I guess. Fly inside volcano, find crack, put glue on it and freeze lava." And with that, she headed for the launch bay. "I'll call you when I get there."

Alex nodded. "I love you. Be careful."

.. 

"Well this looks like fun…" Kara sighed as she hovered over the crater of the volcano. "Not. Hell of a way to spend a Sunday lunch time. I should be sipping margaritas right now not contemplating a lava bath." She slowly skirted its rim looking for entry points she might be able to use as she tapped her earpiece. "Alex, what do I look for?"

"I'm not sure, Supergirl. What are you seeing?" Alex keyed up some satellite photos but the crater was mostly obscured by smoke.

"It's like a… choppy… fountainy… orange lake pretty far down inside the crater."

"Ok, ok, that's good," Alex replied, leaning on her palms on her console. "Less lava to have to deal with. Look for the shallowest point, Kara, and try getting down there. I think you'll know pretty quickly how much of the heat you can take. I don't know when we're going to lose contact so…"

"Don't say goodbye, Alex."

Agent Danvers' tone was gentle. "I wasn't. I was going to say hurry so I can stop chewing my nails off."

Kara chuckled. "Ok." She took a breath and squared her shoulders. "I'm heading down now." She descended straight into the crater to land near the edge of the lava lake. It was hot but not unbearable and she looked around through the steam as she hopped from rock to rock. "Can you still hear me, Alex?"

"Yes," came her sister's static filled reply. "So far so good."

"So," Supergirl sighed as she pushed her now damp hair out of her eyes. "I just had a thought. My suit is not going to stand up to this, so I have to get naked. I… um… assume there's no way to turn off those satellite images I know you're all pouring over?"

Alex shook her head, smiling and she exchanged looks with Agent Vasquez, who was also grinning. "Don't worry. The smoke is too thick to allow us to see into the crater."

Said smoke surprisingly irritated Kara's sinuses and made her sneeze unexpectedly, sending several boulders rolling away. "Excuse me. Whew. Ok, here we go. I'm leaving my earpiece with my clothes so I'll contact you when I get back ok?"

"Good. Ok. Good luck, Supergirl."

"Thanks." Kara disconnected, undressed and left her clothes and boots high up on a rock away from the slowly rising lava. Then she moved back to the edge of the lake. "Ok, here we go." She tentatively dipped her toe in. It was hot like getting into a bath but she didn't feel any pain. "So far so good." She shot into the air to get some momentum and then dove down into the lake, disappearing into the lava with barely a splash. Holding her breath and opening her eyes, she couldn't really see anything so she engaged her x-ray vision to see through the molten rock and scanned the area, following the flow back until she found the fissure. Then she used her heat vision to clear a path through which she could swim. My heat vision is hotter than lava. Cool.

It took some time and she was beginning to run out of breath when she reached the fissure and grabbed hold of one edge. She dragged one side and then the other side until the edges were back together. I need to get back to the surface. I'm almost out of air. Kara engaged her heat vision again and rose, gasping in a breath as she broke the surface. Then she glided over to the shore where she collapsed onto her back and just spent a moment catching her breath. She gazed up at the sky for a long moment just letting her body settle after its exertion, then, using her freeze breath, she hardened the lava still clinging to her into stone and shattered it.

Kara was tired and she just spent a moment stretched out on a flat rock with her eyes closed. "That sucked," she murmured before flying back up to her clothes and dressing. She put her earpiece back in and tapped it. "Guys, can you hear me?"

"Yes! Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Supergirl looked down at her skin. It was pink but she didn't have any burns.

"I'm ok. Add lava resistant to the list. I managed to get the fissure closed but I'm not sure how good a job I did. It was pretty wide."

"Nice work either way, Supergirl," J'onn spoke up. "Worst case scenario, it at least gives the people of the city more time to evacuate."

"Right," Kara replied as she rose into the air again. "Time is good. I'm going to try to cool this thing down now."

Kara flew circles over the lava-lake, cooling it in layers until she'd finally added a crust thick enough for her to stand on. The smoke was even starting to dissipate a little.

"The satellite images are clearing up, Supergirl," Alex supplied. "It looks like the people of the capital are safe for now. Outstanding job." Then she chuckled. "Bet you're glad you're not naked now."

"No kidding," Kara replied. "So am I done here? Everything look ok? I'm starving."

"We'll continue to monitor the volcanic activity but for now, come on home, Supergirl," J'onn replied. "You've earned a good meal."

Back at the DEO, Alex ran to her sister and hugged her hard as she touched down. "I'm so glad you're ok and I'm really proud of you… but boy, you reek of sulfur."

Kara's nose wrinkled. "I know. It's bad when you can't stand your own smell." She patted her chest. "I'm going to take fifty showers. Do you guys have a laundry here? Oh and can I borrow some of your stuff?"

"Sure, I'll get someone to launder your suit and of course you can borrow some clothes. In my room there's a duffel bag on the bed. It has jeans, some shirts and some underwear in it. My bathroom has toiletries. Just take whatever you need. After you've cleaned up, we can go get dinner.

"Cool, thanks." Kara rubbed Alex's arm and headed towards her on-base quarters.

.. 

"This is so nice," Kara raised her glass of sake and touched it to Alex's. "Just taking a moment out to be normal with my sister. Miss Grant is on vacation so no work calls. Winn has a new girlfriend so I don't have to feel guilty anymore…"

"Wait, guilty? Why?" the older Danvers asked.

"It's taken a while for him to get over my not being interested in him in… that… way." Kara leaned back in her chair and sighed, playing with her necklace. "Don't get me wrong… I love him… but not romantically." She paused thoughtfully. "I'm not even sure if I'm ready to be in a relationship, Alex. I have to take the time to figure out what it is to be me first before I choose a man… or woman… to spend my life with." Just then Kara's phone rang and she glanced at it. "And I have apparently jinxed myself. Miss Grant, is everything ok? Having dinner with my… um… friend, why?" She glanced at Alex and shook her head. "Oh no, is he ok? I see… gosh... that's awful. Yes, I'll put that in place for you as soon as possible. Ok, see you tomorrow evening." She hung up and looked down, blowing out a breath. "I hate having to lie to her, Alex."

The dark woman reached out and squeezed her sister's hand. "You know, I never imagined I'd say this, but I think you can trust her with your secret. She's going to figure it out sooner or later and it will hurt her that you've been lying to her."

The hero sighed. "I know. I just… I need the right time to tell her. I feel like we got pretty close during the myriad thing and I don't want to ruin that."

"What was all that other stuff about?" Alex went on. "I assumed that when you got promoted you wouldn't have to be at her beck and call all the time."

Kara shrugged. "I'm still finding her a new assistant. Her son had a skiing accident. He broke both of his legs. She needs his room set up with a special bed and stuff."

"Poor kid."

"Yeah, I hate it that happened to him."

"Isn't he a big fan of Supergirl's? Maybe you could arrange a surprise visit for him? I'm sure Supergirl wouldn't mind."

Kara pointed at her sister with her chopsticks. "That's a GREAT idea. I'm pretty sure that Supergirl would be delighted to do that."

Alex pointed back at her. "And don't think the man or woman comment went unnoticed."

Kara chuckled. "Yeah, I just… I've been thinking a lot about a woman who's… um… I'm attracted to her… a lot… and I'm..." She stopped. "You're not… freaked out or anything are you?"

"Me?" The older Danvers pointed at her own chest and laughed. "Not at all. I've done it myself."

"You've slept with a woman?"

Alex drank some more sake and nodded. "Sure, a few times. It's great."

"Hmmm…" Kara thought about that for a while.


	2. Monday

Monday morning. Kara was already at her desk in her new office, chuckling as she realized that she could actually get so much more done when Cat wasn't there. "Yes, one of the electrically adjustable ones… whichever the best one is… Speakers? Go for it. It's for a twelve-year-old with badly broken legs... Yes, that would be perfect. This afternoon please." She gave the clerk Cat's address and asked them to directly bill to her office. "Yes, Sir. I have a key so, if you can call me back with a delivery time, I'll meet them there. Thank you. Goodbye." She took a sip of coffee and then smiled as she saw James Olsen at her door. "Hey, James."

"Hey. Congrats on the new digs."

"Thanks. How's your day going?"

"Well, it was good until I saw something online. You're not going to like this."

"Uh oh…" Kara replied. "What is it?"

"Um… were you sunbathing inside a volcano at some point?" he asked, his voice low.

"I stopped a volcano from erupting yesterday. Why?"

James took out his phone, brought up a website and handed the phone to her. Kara examined the pictures, which were completely blurry, but it was obviously a blonde woman laying naked on something. The caption was #supergirlsahottie

"It's definitely not Superman," James chuckled as Kara leaned back in her chair and calmly dialed a number from memory.

"Alex? Did you hear about the pics?"

"What pics?"

"Go to the supergirlsahottie website please."

"Supergirlsahottie? Seriously?"

"I know… just look at the latest post."

"You know, if you weren't my sister, I'd be laughing my ass off right now."

Kara couldn't help but chuckle. "I know. Alex, I thought the crater was obscured by smoke yesterday?"

"It was. Kara, they're way too blurred to be able to make anything out and they're definitely not satellite photos. Someone had to have been spying on you."

"Ok, first things first. See if you can get them taken down, ok? In fact, see if you can completely trash the website for me? I have to finish getting things organized for Miss Grant coming back this evening."

"You don't seem too upset," Alex said. "I thought you'd be freaking out."

Kara sighed. "I've learned that freaking out doesn't help. Talk to you later."

James leaned in and looked a little closer at her. "Kara, why were you naked in the first place?"

The blonde woman hiked an eyebrow. "Why were you looking at that website?"

The tall man cleared his throat guiltily and headed for his office. Kara just sighed and went back to her arrangements.

..

Supergirl watched from a few blocks away as Cat Grant and her driver helped Carter from the car and into a wheelchair. Both of his legs were in heavy casts and there was no way he could walk. Earlier in the evening, Kara Danvers had met with her boss and showed her all the modifications to the young boy's room. It had earned her a genuine smile and a heartfelt thanks from the Queen of All Media but now it was time for Supergirl to pay them a surprise visit.

For a moment, Kara hovered above them. "Hey Carter!" she waved. Then she landed gently and crouched next to the suddenly open-mouthed young man. "Sorry to just drop by unannounced but your mom's assistant, Kara, told me that you took quite a spill." She smiled gently as she glanced at Cat.

Carter nodded shyly. "Yeah, skiing accident. I broke my legs."

"Wow, that must have hurt a lot! Look at how brave and amazing you are," Kara replied sympathetically. "So, Mom," she looked at Cat. "Would it be ok if I gave Carter some help getting into the house and maybe stayed for some dinner, if it's not imposing too much?"

Cat's smile just grew. "Of course, Supergirl. We'd BOTH love that."

"Awesome." Kara moved closer to the young man. "Put your arms around my neck." He did as he was asked and she scooped him out of the wheelchair and slowly flew him up into the air before landing by the front door where Cat was waiting. The hero carried Carter into the living room and deposited him gently on the couch, quickly propping up his legs on cushions. "Tired, Kiddo?" she asked.

Carter nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, I'm pretty tired."

"The painkillers also have him a bit spaced out," Cat added. "Sweetheart, why don't you take a short nap while Supergirl and I make dinner? We'll wake you up in a little bit when it's ready."

"Ok," the young man agreed and Kara helped him to lay down, draping a blanket over him and giving him a kiss on the forehead. Then she followed Cat to the kitchen.

The older woman took a seat at the large table and offered the hero a chair. "You've made his year."

"It was the least I could do," Supergirl replied, moving her cape to one side and sitting down. "Kara talks about him all the time and he seems to be a great kid. He didn't deserve this."

"Supergirl…" Cat said slowly. "I know you and my assistant proved to me that you aren't the same person but…" She sighed and shook her head. "I want you to know that, with everything that's happened and with all you've done for me… including doing this for my son... you can trust me to not tell the world any more of your secrets." She got up and went to the fridge to take out some potatoes, vegetables and steak. She deposited them on the island next to the sink. "Because, being completely honest, I'm more than a little confused about how I feel about you. You really do feel to me like you ARE her. It's your eyes."

Kara got up and joined Cat at the island, quiet for a moment as she washed the asparagus and pulled a chopping knife out of the block. Finally, she sighed. "Cat, I do trust you. Only a handful of people know who I really am and those are all people I care about deeply. I want to add you to that group but I need you to think about it carefully first. The symbol on mine and my cousin's chests stands for something important and special and it can be dangerous to those who are connected with us so, before I agree to tell you my real story, I need you to tell me that you understand that and you're willing to accept that risk." Kara gave Cat a moment to think and tenderize the steak while she chopped carrots and scrubbed three potatoes.

"I don't really think that I'd be in any more danger than I already have been with Leslie," the older woman finally decided. "And that was nothing to do with you. So, if you're ready to include me, I'd be honored."

Supergirl smiled and nodded. "Ok…" She took the pans Cat gave to her and set the carrots and asparagus to steaming. "I can cook the potatoes quickly with my heat vision when the steak is ready," she added.

Cat smiled. "Handy."

Supergirl chuckled. "That's what my foster mom says at Thanksgiving when I give the turkey a few seconds."

"Foster mom… So I was right? Kara Danvers is Supergirl?" the older woman asked.

"Yes… and I'm so sorry I had to lie to you. I hated it every day." Kara moved closer to Cat, looking right into her eyes and taking her hand. "I was just so scared that you'd get hurt because of me. I care about you. A lot." They stood there for a long moment just looking at each other until Kara finally cleared her throat and took a step back, looking around the kitchen. "You have a lovely home," she commented as she tried to calm her pounding heart.

"Thank you," Cat replied as she turned the steaks. "Kara… is it ok for me to ask you some questions?"

"Sure," Supergirl shrugged.

"What really happened on Krypton?" Cat opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses, handing one to Kara and clinking them together in a silent toast.

"I'm not sure I fully understand what happened myself but it seems like my people had completely depleted Krypton's resources until it finally destroyed itself. My parents had sent me in a ship to follow my cousin and take care of him here on Earth but the shockwave from Krypton's destruction knocked me off course and I slept in a place called the Phantom Zone for a long time. Time doesn't exist there so I didn't age. Long story short, by the time I made it to Earth, Kal-El was already Superman." Kara took a sip of her wine as Cat laid the table. "I was only thirteen when I arrived and Kal-El asked the Danvers family to take me in. Eliza and Alex, whom you know, taught me how to become a citizen of Earth. I went to school, college and finally ended up working for you."

Cat smiled. "Lucky for me."

Kara blushed and looked down. "Thanks."

"So, why did you not use your powers for so long? I assume that you had them and just hid them?" The older woman took the steaks off the pan and checked the carrots and asparagus. Kara nodded and used her heat vision to cook each potato to a perfect consistency.

"Yeah, Jeremiah Danvers, my foster Dad, told me that people would be afraid of me if they discovered I was an alien. That they might try to hurt me. So I hid my abilities for a long time, thinking that the world only needed Superman and not me."

Cat plated the meals and set them on the table. "Why now though? Why that particular plane? Why did you choose that moment to come out? I mean, you obviously weren't wearing the suit."

Kara smiled. "Actually, I was on a date that night and I saw on the TV that the plane was in trouble. Then I realized it was the one that Alex was on and I couldn't let her die. She means everything to me." She got up. "Let me just get Carter."

Suddenly it all made sense to Cat. "Do you think you ever would have revealed yourself if your sister hadn't been on that plane?"

Supergirl headed towards the living room but she grinned back over her shoulder. "Maybe not right then, but eventually. Ironically, I had been discussing coming out with Alex before she went to the airport and, after I saved the plane, I told her… and no offense meant, Cat because I really love my job… I said that I hadn't travelled two thousand light years just to be an assistant."

A moment later, Supergirl returned, carrying the still groggy Carter. She placed him gently into his seat and helped him cut his steak while Cat watched, smiling. Not for the first time, she noticed how beautiful the young woman was but pushed those thoughts out of her mind and focused on her questions.

"What's your real name?" she asked, curiously.

"It's Kara Zor-El. My family name is El but my surname comes from my father, Zor-El. My father and Superman's father, Jor-El, were brothers. That's what this symbol is." She laid her hand on her chest for a moment. "It means hope but it's also my family's coat of arms."

"How long have you lived on Earth?" Cat munched on some asparagus. "You are actually twenty-four, right?"

"Yes, I've pretty much lived half my life on Earth. It was a hell of a learning curve but luckily my powers helped me a lot. It only took me a few days to learn to speak English but I stayed up for days on end pouring over books. I had to educate myself to sixth grade level before I could go to school and I REALLY wanted to go to school with Alex."

Cat was quiet for a moment but then she reached out and covered Kara's hand with her own. "It must have been so difficult here for you. You were so young when you were sent away."

"The Danvers family was amazing so I never felt lonely. I missed my parents and my aunt a lot but I think the most difficult thing for me at the time was learning how to control my powers. My head was all the time full of other people's voices and I kept seeing through people and moving too fast. Eventually, I learned to master my powers enough to be able to function around other people." She sighed and turned her hand over, squeezing Cat's gently as she shook her head. "And some people are so scared of me. If only they know what I had to go through just trying to fit in."

"Who made your suit?" Carter asked quietly. "It's really nice."

"Thanks, Carter. Winn actually made it. We went through a few different iterations of it until we settled on this one."

Cat laughed. "Yes, I do remember the version with the red Doc Martins and socks."

"Yeeeaaahhhh…" Kara laughed too. "I had these boots on order at the time so we were improvising."

"Why are the thumb things on your sleeves?" Carter was chewing on his steak and seemed more awake.

"Oh," Kara examined her own hands. "Well originally, when I was flying, the sleeves would ride up in the wind. We added these thumb things to stop that from happening."

"Cool," the boy smiled. "I suppose your cape helps with aerodynamics. How fast can you fly?"

Kara looked at Cat, impressed. "I guess I've hit just about Mach 2 so far."

"You're amazing! You can race fighter jets," the young man grinned.

Kara chuckled as she finished eating and picked up her wine, offering a toast. "Well, I think YOU'RE amazing. To the bravest and smartest young man I've ever met."

Carter lifted his soda and Cat too clinked her glass against Kara's. "And to the most beautiful and kind hearted woman I've ever met," the older woman added. "Thank you for visiting us, Supergirl."

The young woman lifted an eyebrow but smiled. She wasn't quite sure why her heart had skipped when Cat had called her beautiful. Or maybe she was… but she pushed those thoughts away.

"Kara, will you stay a while and watch TV with us?" Carter asked hopefully.

Supergirl looked at Cat, who nodded at her. "Sure, Buddy. What do you want to watch? Are you finished your dinner?" With super speed, Kara collected the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Then she hand-washed the pots and pans and put them away. It took her about thirty seconds.

"Want to watch Game of Thrones with us, Kara?"

"Again, handy," Cat chuckled. She approached Kara and wrapped an arm around her waist tugging her gently. "Yeah, Kara, want to watch Game of Thrones with us?" she teased.

Kara was a little breathless. "Um… yeh yes… um… I just ha… have to help Carter." She went to the boy and cradled him again, carrying him into the living room and stretching him out on the couch. Then she sat on the two seater where she was joined by her boss who gave her another glass of wine. "Thanks."

"You can't get drunk, right? I seem to remember your helping me into a cab after our martini night a while back."

"No, I can't," Kara replied with a chuckle. "Sometimes I wish I could. It can be hard to unwind."

It wasn't long before Carter had fallen asleep and Cat muted the TV so they could talk. "It can't be easy doing what you do," she began. "You're so… larger than life… to everyone… that no one really realizes that you're a person too… that you have feelings just like we all do."

Kara nodded. "A few days ago, I arrived at the scene of a horrible traffic accident. There were three cars and an eighteen-wheeler involved. The trailer jack-knifed and flipped over right on top of the cars. The people… there was a so much blood and I…" She looked down. "One of the passengers had been decapitated and her head was just sitting in her husband's lap. He was in shock and tried to put her head back on her body. He kept telling her that everything would be ok as soon as Supergirl got there and that she'd fix everything." She wiped her suddenly wet eyes on her sleeve. "I've been having nightmares ever since… waking up screaming when the head opens its eyes and blames me for not…" Her breath hitched. "…saving her." Kara sat forward, resting her forearms on her thighs and bowing her head. "I don't… tell anyone about the nightmares I have, Cat, because I have to be strong but sometimes… it…" Her voice broke into a whisper. "It hurts so badly I can hardly breathe."

And then Cat's arms were around her from behind and the older woman's chin was resting on her shoulder. "You are brave and strong, Kara Danvers, both in and out of that suit. You HAVE to cut yourself some slack. Even the Girl of Steel can't be everywhere at once."

Kara let her head lean against Cat's. The embrace was surprisingly comforting. "I know. Ugh… sorry… I broke your crying rule."

"That rule is only for the office. I have nothing against crying. It's cathartic." Without thinking, Cat kissed the younger woman's temple. Kara's head turned and their eyes met for a long moment at very close range. Then Cat's arms tightened and her eyes lowered to glance at the soft lips in front of her. "My brain is telling me that this might not be a very good idea."

Kara nodded but she couldn't tear her eyes away. "It may be right," she murmured in return. But then Cat was leaning closer and Kara was drawn to her and their lips were a hair's breadth apart.

"Mom?"

The two women jumped and quickly parted. Kara stood up and went to Carter. "Hey, you need something?"

"Can I have some water please?"

"Sure. I'll get you some." She let her eyes meet Cat's for a second. The older woman was smiling thoughtfully so she headed for the kitchen and returned a moment later with a glass of cool liquid which she handed over to Carter along with a napkin. "Here you go. Use the napkin. It's hard to drink when you're laying down. And you know, I really should get going but I'll drop by and see you again in a few days, ok?"

"Ok," the young boy replied with a smile. "Thanks for coming over, Kara… I mean… Supergirl. I won't tell anyone what you told us tonight or that you're really Mom's assistant. You can trust me."

Kara dropped a kiss on the top of his head. "Thanks, Carter. See you soon."

"I'll walk you out," Cat added and the younger woman nodded and headed towards the door.

"Goodnight, Cat," she said softly as she stepped out onto the street. "Thanks for tonight… and for listening."

"You're really good with kids," the older blonde added. "Do you want a family some day?"

Kara sighed wistfully. "I'm not sure if that's in my future," she replied. "I'm kind of living day to day at the moment."

"Well, you'll make a terrific mother if and when you're ready for that. Goodnight, Kara."

"Goodnight, Cat." Kara lifted her fist and bent her knees to take off but she stopped and, instead, stepped into the smaller woman's arms for a tight hug. Then she stepped back and shot into the sky. Cat's eyes followed her until she was out of sight.


	3. Tuesday

Early morning briefing at the DEO.

"Supergirl, did you get all that?" Kara's head snapped up to find all the eyes in the room on her, including Director Henshaw's.

"Uh… Yes, Sir." She slowly stood up. "I'll be back later. I have to…" She waved absently in a general direction and walked toward the launch bay. Alex went after her.

"Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah, sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Anything I can help with?"

"I confided in Cat about some stuff last night and now I'm questioning if it was a good idea."

"Why? I really think you can trust her. After the whole Myriad thing I think she deserves to know the truth."

"I know and she knows I'm Supergirl but it was more than that. I told her about some… nightmares I've been having. I was upset and she hugged me but it got REALLY intense and we came VERY close to kissing each other. If Carter hadn't woken up and interrupted us I'm not sure what would have happened." She lowered her voice. "I had to take a looooong shower when I got home... if you know what I mean."

Alex shook her head. "Kara, T.M.I… Wait... Did she try to take advantage of you?"

Kara put her hand out and touched Alex's arm. "No… it wasn't like that, Alex. It was both of us. We both wanted it."

"What happened in the end?"

"After Carter woke up, I just left. She walked me out and we hugged and that was it."

Alex moved closer and looked her sister right in the eyes. "Listen to me, Kara. You need to be very careful."

Kara buried her face in her hands, nodding. Then she flipped her hair back, tucking it behind her ears. "I know I should stop it… but I can't stop thinking about her. Ugh!" She lifted and dropped her hands then. "You know what? I can't talk about this now. I have to get to work. I'll see you later."

"Kara, wait…" Alex sighed. But her sister was already gone.

"Good morning, Miss Grant." Kara handed over her boss's hot latte as usual but Cat was surprised to not see the usual accompanying smile.

"Good morning, Miss Danvers," she replied teasingly. That elicited a small smile from her assistant. "Are you ok?" she added quietly.

The younger woman side-stepped the question. "Mmmhmm. How's Carter. Did he get some sleep?"

"Yes and he loved the bed by the way. It made things a lot easier for him. Thank you again for organizing that, Kara. He also loved his visit from Supergirl. It was all he could talk about this morning. He seems to have a pretty big crush on her."

That pulled a genuine smile from Kara. "That's sweet. Supergirl loved spending the evening with you both. She asked if you all could do that again soon."

"Of course, Kara. Why don't..." She indicated a circle with her hand. "ALL of us have dinner on Friday night. Are you free?"

"All… ALL of us…" the younger blonde replied, unconsciously mimicking her boss's gesture. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Would you like me to ask Supergirl?"

Cat chuckled. "Unless a last minute emergency comes up, I have a feeling she'll be free but please ask her, Kara. My house at seven."

"Yes, Miss Grant." Kara understood. It was ok to come without the suit.

Just then the phone rang and Cat waggled her fingers at her ex-assistant as she headed back to her office. Kara looked at the screen and closed her office door. "Hey Alex. What's up?"

"Nothing, I was just checking in. I wanted to make sure you're ok."

The younger Danvers leaned back in her chair and swiveled it. "Well… Supergirl and I were invited to Cat's house for dinner on Friday night."

"You AND Supergirl… I see… are you going?"

"Yes, I'm going."

"Kara, do you think that's a good idea?"

"I'm really not sure, Alex, but I can't let Carter down. I promised I'd visit him again."

"I know… just… be careful, ok? I don't want you getting hurt. Oh... crap… I have to go. I'll text you later."

"Ok, bye."

..

"Kara?" The blonde looked up and smiled at Cat who was leaning against the door frame.

"Hey, need something?"

The older woman seemed annoyed. "There's something you should see."

Kara got up and followed her to her office where Cat unmuted the sound on one of her TVs. "… are saying that Supergirl is in fact dead following the discovery of the body of a young woman wearing a distinctive outfit." She folded her arms and just watched as the news helicopter hovered above the scene, its camera capturing a body covered with a blanket being wheeled away. There was very obviously a cape spilling over the edge of the trolley. "At this point, we don't know what to think but if the Girl of Steel is dead, the questions on everyone's minds are… What happened and who is going to protect National C..."

Suddenly Supergirl touched down next to the reporter and Cat spun around to find that Kara was gone. "Excuse me for the interruption," the superhero smiled, speaking into his microphone. "Fellow citizens of National City, as you can see, I'm not dead. I'm very sorry that this young woman died and I will be offering my services to the NCPD so we can figure out what's going on and who her family is. Thank you."

Kara walked toward the trolley where the paramedic immediately pulled back the blanket for her to look at the body. "I knew it wasn't you, Supergirl," he said. "She looks nothing like you."

"You're right," Kara agreed. "But I guess there are a lot of people who don't really know what I look like. The suit is pretty much the eye-catcher."

"I wouldn't say that," the man replied with a shy smile. "You're much prettier in person than in pictures."

Supergirl reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Thank you. Now which hospital are you taking her to?"

"NC General. We're expecting the police there too. Do you want a ride?"

Kara shook her head as she pulled out her phone. "Thanks, but I have to make a phone call. I'll meet the police there."

But her phone rang before she could try to dial. "What the hell? Who the hell is she?"

"Calm down, Alex. I don't know but she doesn't look anything like me. Can you and J'Onn meet me at National City General please?"

"Sure."

"And Alex? I'm putting the blurry pics and the caped imposter together in not such a pleasant way here."

"Me too. I'll see you soon."

Supergirl shot into the air and within moments, was landing outside NCG hospital. She was immediately rushed by the press and she had no choice but to hover over their heads. "C'mon folks, this is a hospital. Let's be respectful. I'm just here to help and I won't be making any more statements so please, just back up." Then she slowly glided to the door, only touching down again when she was inside and clear of the reporters, who were being held at bay by hospital security. Her boots squeaked slightly on the shiny floor and she was once again reminded of why she didn't really like hospitals. It was the smell… amplified a thousand times by her enhanced senses.

"Supergirl," the receptionist greeted her. "We've been expecting you. The body arrived just a few moments ago to the morgue. I can't let you go down there but I'll have someone talk to you as soon as possible. Can you take a seat for a few minutes?"

"Sure, thank you." Kara turned around to find every pair of eyes in the waiting room on her and a few mouths hanging open. "Uh… hi," she said, giving a little wave. Then she sat on a hard, orange plastic chair and crossed her legs. "Awkward," she muttered to herself as she ran her hand through her hair and pushed it back behind her ears. She closed her eyes and was just trying not to overhear anything confidential when she felt a small tickle on her knee.

She pretended not to notice and felt it again, followed by additional tickles. Knowing exactly what is was, she opened one eye. Then she opened the other. Then she crossed them and stuck out her tongue making the group of children, who had gravitated to her, laugh. She grabbed the nearest one, a little blonde headed girl and tickled her, making her giggle but Kara was especially touched by the kids who were dressed in Supergirl pajamas and were obviously cancer patients. "You guys all look awesome," she said with a big smile. "You're all Superkids."

..

Alex stood, leaning against a pillar and smiling as she watched her sister playing with the kids, picking them up in turn and whirling them around. The indulgent eyes of smiling parents and other patients really showed her what Supergirl meant to them and she felt a pang of pain when she thought about the fact that she'd almost stopped that from happening. She'd almost stopped her sister from showing her amazing… not just powers… but also self… to the world. Tears rose in her eyes and she sniffed and blinked them away as Kara's eyes landed on her and opened up to her in a way they did for no one else. "Hey," she murmured, knowing that the younger woman would hear her. "I see you found yourself a fan club."

Kara's mouth eased into a grin and she winked as a small boy tugged playfully on her cape. It turned into a new game where she would spin around, trying to catch whoever was tugging on her but never finding anyone. Eventually, Alex moved across the room to her. "Hey, Kids. I'm so sorry but I need to borrow Supergirl. We have to go see someone now."

"I need hugs!" Kara opened her arms and dropped to her knees and the kids enveloped her, giggling. Then she smiled at them and pointed at her own chest. "What does this mean?" she asked.

One boy stared at her chest intently, his eyes following her curves. "That you're a girl?"

Alex almost choked as she tried to stifle a laugh.

"It's an S for super," another boy replied proudly.

"Yes, it is," Kara replied seriously. "BUT where I'm from, it also means hope. Always have hope, Kids, ok?"

"Are you from Seattle?" asked a little girl with a doll clenched in her arms. "I'm from Seattle."

Alex linked her sister's arm, helping her up. "She only wishes she was that cool," she grinned as she guided Kara away. Supergirl waved at them and then refocused.

"What do you have, Alex? Oh PLEASE tell me this is Max Lord so I can go kick his ass." Her hands curled into fists but Alex's hand closed over one.

"Not this time, Kiddo," the older Danvers sister chuckled. "We did trace the IP of the computer that was used to post the images. It belongs to a kid who says he got them from a friend of his."

"And let me guess. That friend got them from some guy, right?"

"Some guy with a drone apparently."

"So you're thinking that the pictures and my deceased dress-alike are NOT related?"

Alex shook her dark head. "If there's some sort of connection, we haven't found it yet."

"Dammit. Ok." Kara's phone rang. She looked at the screen and the smile that lit her face wasn't lost on Alex. "Cat… Hey… Sorry I took off like that… I… No, I'm ok… I'm sure. No really, Cat, I'm fine. Alex and I are just about to talk to the police… um… tonight? I'm not sure. Depends on how things play out here. Let me call you later, ok? Ok, bye."

"Kara's got a girlfriend… Kara's got a… ooof… Hey!" Alex rubbed her side where her sister's elbow had caught her ribs. "It's nice that she's worried about you though."

"You know what? I need to find you a date," Kara stated, stopping and poking her sister's shoulder. "When was the last time you had sex?"

Alex's brow scrunched. "I have sex… sometimes…" she said moodily.

"You can't remember, can you?"

"Yes, I… Huh… Well, what about you, Miss I'm-Too-Sexy-for-my-Cape! When was the last time YOU had sex?!"

Kara sighed. "Touché" A loud clearing of throat echoed around them and they turned to find J'Onn waiting for them with his arms crossed. "Busted," she added sheepishly.

They crossed the corridor to him. "If you two ladies are done comparing love lives… or lack thereof, can we go see the medical examiner?"

"Yes, Sir."

The matching contrite expressions almost made J'Onn laugh and he realized that, even though these two women did not actually share blood, they were definitely sisters.

..

"Well?" Cat stood up as Kara walked slowly into her office and took a seat on the couch. "What happened?"

"The woman was murdered," Kara replied unhappily. "The killer dressed her up in a cheap Halloween knockoff of Supergirl's suit, injected her with a heroin overdose and then dumped her where she'd be easily found."

"Is this even connected to Supergirl?" Cat asked. "Or are we just looking at a fetish killer here?"

"I don't know," the younger woman replied with a frown. "It could be a lot of things; someone who hates strong women, someone Supergirl caught who's is trying to get revenge but knows they can't kill her, someone just being an asshole for the sake of it. I don't have a clue."

"Hey…" Cat took a seat next to Kara and stroked her hand until her fist unclenched. "There's nothing we can do right now. The police will catch this guy."

"I know, you're right, Cat." The younger woman shook her head. "I'm just feeling a little powerless."

"Well, Kara," Cat got up briskly. "I am empowering you to go to Noonan's and get me one of those salads I like."

"The one with the cheeseburger on top?"

"Precisely. Chop chop."

..

Later that evening, Cat was sitting in her office finishing off the last of her tasks for the day. She had a glass of bourbon sitting beside her and her eyes closed, thinking. She smiled to herself though when she heard the familiar sound of Supergirl landing on her balcony and got up to find the Girl of Steel just slouching in a chair with her feet up on the balcony wall.

"Brazen," she joked with a smile and took the seat next to her friend. "No bad guys to catch?"

"You said you wanted to see me tonight and you weren't at home so I came here to find you."

"Stalker."

Kara chuckled, enjoying a playful side of Cat that she'd never seen before. "So you've seen me. Do you want to talk too or should I go?" She pretended to get up but the older woman grabbed her wrist and held it tightly. Kara settled back into her chair with a smile. "Just kidding."

"Sorry… It's getting hard," Cat said softly. "I'm not sure what to do about it."

Kara crossed her legs and turned onto one hip to lean on the arm of the chair and look at her friend. "What is?"

The older woman's fingers played with the thumb catch on Kara's sleeve. "Stopping myself from touching you."

"Oh," Kara breathed softly.

Cat sucked in a nervous breath. "This is not a new thing just because of the cape or anything like that. Please don't think that."

"I don't," Supergirl replied gently.

"It's actually those tight pants you wear," Cat chuckled. "Sorry, that was inappropriate. I'm probably completely freaking you out."

"No, you're not freaking me out at all. It's flattering that you find me attractive," the younger blonde replied, looking at Cat's fingers as their tips traced over her thumb and then looking into her eyes. "I find you very attractive too."

"Good."

Cat leaned in to kiss Kara but the hero intercepted it by gently cupping the older woman's chin and running her thumb over her lower lip. "But I need some time to think." Instead she kissed Cat's forehead.

The older woman nodded and smiled against Kara's thumb. "Ok."

Supergirl got up then and stepped back to lean against the balcony wall. In truth, her body was humming with arousal but she knew Alex was right and that rushing into something with Cat was not the right thing to do. "I'll see you in the morning," she said with a smile. "I'm interviewing some people to find you a new assistant. I'll make sure to pick the least annoying one."

"I certainly hope so," Cat replied. "Choose wisely, Kara or Kiera will no longer be in your past. Also this person will be reporting to you, not me, so it's in your best interests to make your own life easier."

"To me? You're making me management?" Supergirl chuckled and stepped forward to kiss Cat on the cheek. "Ok then. Goodnight." Then she raised her fists and sailed away into the darkness leaving the Queen of All Media on the balcony with her hand pressed against her face.


	4. Wednesday

Morning interviews.

Kara smiled at her 9 a.m. "Good morning, Melinda. I'm Kara Danvers and I'll be just conducting a very quick first pass interview for the position. I'll be calling back successful candidates for a second interview. Please have a seat." Kara sat behind her desk as the woman sat in her guest chair and gingerly placed her purse on the floor. She looked terrified and Kara mentally checked her off the list. Cat would eat this girl for breakfast and again for lunch. "Tell me why you'd make a good assistant to Miss Grant?"

The girl stuttered for a moment and then squared her shoulders. "Oh… Kara Danvers… you're the previous assistant, right?" She squinted. "Did anyone ever tell you that you look a little like Supergirl?" Kara just blinked at her and gave her head a little shake. "Anyway, I'm smart and hardworking and I really want an opportunity to work for the Queen."

Kara suddenly thought about the day she interviewed for the job. She'd definitely used her powers to her advantage to get it but it had been her own hard work and perseverance that had kept her in it. "Actually, technically, you'll be working for me while providing Miss Grant with whatever she needs. All of the candidates I've chosen to interview are smart and hardworking. What makes you the right choice?"

"I love Miss Grant." Melinda suddenly blurted. "She's the most powerful person in National City. She's beautiful and rich and amazing…"

"And taken," the blonde muttered as she stabbed her pad with a pen. It went all the way through and into the table.

"Excuse me?"

Kara had shocked herself but she quickly put the pen down and recovered, clearing her throat. "Well spoken, I said." She got up from her desk and smiled. "Thank you for coming in. We'll let you know after all the candidates have been interviewed." The young woman left and Kara balled up her resume. She was even tempted to burn it with her heat vision but resisted in case she set off the smoke detectors.

Then she looked at the next resume, chuckling as she opened an IM session to Cat.

How do you feel about having a male assistant?

The answer was immediate. Fine. He's going to be reporting to you. How do YOU feel about my having a male assistant? ;-)

Kara sighed as she thought about all the tampon runs and genuine PMS related issues she'd dealt with over the years. Good point.

She went through the process of interviewing each candidate and out of all twenty, there really was only one that Kara thought could possibly both do the job well and survive it. So she decided to call the woman back for a second interview. After chatting with HR for a few minutes, she headed into Cat's office. Their relationship was very different now and, while Cat was still gruff and brisk with her, she hadn't called her Kiera or insulted her all week so far. In fact, Cat had been pretty sweet. For Cat.

"How's Carter doing? Does he need anything else?" the younger blonde asked as she set a report on her boss's desk.

Cat looked up, distracted. "Hmmm? Oh no, he's doing fine. He's bored of course not being able to get around very well but I got him a Kindle and an Amazon gift card so he's been reading a lot. Luckily, he's not a boy who was ever into sports so he's not missing that."

Kara chuckled. "He actually reminds me of me at about his age."

"Oh?" Cat took off her glasses and looked up at her friend. "How so?"

"Quiet, shy, loves to read. Hates sports. I never really could see the point of hitting a ball with a bat only to just run around in circles. I hit a baseball once and it was never seen again." She grinned as Cat laughed lightly.

"You didn't have sports on K… um… where you come from?"

"Not really," Kara replied thoughtfully. "At least I didn't play them. It was more about academics where I grew up. So… anyway… I think I found you a new assistant. She's very experienced and I think you'll like her. She's not a millennial either."

"Thank God," Cat teased.

"I've asked HR to call her back for a second interview in the next couple of days. Do you want to meet her when she comes back?"

Cat shrugged and went back to her email. "I trust you if you think she's the one."

"I think she might be and Cat?" The older blonde looked up again. "Try to be nice to her, ok? She's of an age where she has nothing to prove."

Cat laid a hand on her own chest in mock-surprise. Then she chuckled and shook her head. "I'll try but no promises."

..

Later that afternoon, Kara was on the phone with Cat's hair stylist when she received a text. It was from an unknown number so she ignored it while she made Cat's appointments for the rest of the summer and updated her boss's calendar. However, two more sound notifications followed and she finally picked up her iPhone and opened it.

"Oh my God," she exclaimed, dropping the phone on her desk and backing away from it in shock. After taking a moment to just breathe, Kara picked up her phone again and looked at the picture. It was a picture of Kelly, her colleague from two desks over who had died when Non had forced her to jump off the balcony under Myriad's control. To be more precise, it was a picture of Kelly taken the day of her funeral… except the coffin was open and Kara could see all the damage to her body from the fall. Overlaid on the picture were the words SUPERGIRL LET HER DIE. TELL HER SHE'S NEXT.

Kara sat down in her chair and cleared the picture off her screen. Then she called Alex.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Alex," the younger Danvers sister whispered. "I… Oh my God…"

"Kara, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"I'm… I'm at CatCo."

"Sweetie, what is it? Is anyone hurt? Is Cat ok?"

As Kara thought about the picture, she suddenly got angry. "Jesus, Alex. This guy… the murderer… this is definitely about Supergirl. I'm coming to you now." Kara hung up and stormed out of her office. It took everything she had to not blast the roof access door open with her heat vision and by the time she reached the roof, she was already changed and shot up into the sky towards the DEO.

Agent Vasquez examined her console for a long moment before realizing what she was seeing. "Oh boy… Agent Danvers?" Alex joined her at the board. "Supergirl is coming in… VERY hot."

"Oh crap." Alex tossed her ear piece onto her own console and ran towards the launch bay. She got there just in time to see Supergirl land hard enough to crack the concrete floor and head in her direction with an obviously furious stride. Her cape and hair billowed out behind her and for a moment, Alex thought her sister actually looked scary.

"Sparring. NOW!" Kara boomed, heading for the training room. Alex walked a step behind her.

"Honey, what's happening?"

"I'll tell you later. I'm just… too… maaadddd right now."

"Alright," Alex agreed. "Just… don't break me, ok? Remember to wait for the emitters."

They got inside the room and Alex turned the Kryptonite lights on. Kara immediately felt its effects and she lifted her fists and swung at her sister who ducked under her arm and spun, pushing her hard from behind to give herself some space to prepare. Alex settled herself into her fighting stance and waited for Kara to come at her again.

Supergirl yelled and swung again, missing Alex's face by a hair and then following up with a roundhouse kick that caught her sister in the side and took her down.

"AGAIN" Kara roared and Alex felt a distinct sense of déjà vu.

She got to her feet and they faced off but this time, Alex attacked first. She caught her sister in the ribs with a well-placed jab and ducked the returning swing, only to be taken down again when Kara crouched and spun, kicking her legs out from underneath her. She fell onto her back and winced as Kara's fist headed for her face but at the last second, Kara moved and her fist slammed into the floor next to Alex's left ear instead. While she was off-balance, Alex grabbed her and flipped her onto her back, rolling on top of her to straddle her hips and pin her by the shoulders.

At first, the blonde struggled angrily against her but finally, Kara just collapsed back, covering her face with her crossed arms as her chest heaved with sobs. All of the grief and guilt and anger she'd been carrying deep down since Kelly's death came flooding out of her. Alex moved off her and sat on the floor. "C'mere," she said and Kara sat up and just let her sister hug her. They stayed like that until Kara had calmed down and finally the blonde pulled back a little and winced. "I think I broke my hand."

Alex gently examined the appendage and winced when she saw the bruising and swelling. "Yep, you did."

Kara sniffed. "Oww."

Alex chuckled and got up, going to the wall panel and turning off the Kryptonite emitters. Moments later the swelling and discoloration was gone and Kara flexed her hand. "All fixed." Then she pulled her phone out of its secret pocket under her cape, opened a text and handed it to Alex. "Be prepared. It's not pretty."

"Oh my God!" Alex echoed Kara's earlier sentiments. "This is cruel and awful."

"But true," Kara stated, angry again.

"No, Kara, it's NOT true. You didn't LET anyone die."

"But I CHOSE!" Kara slammed her palms into the wall, leaving hand-shaped dents in the drywall. "I CHOSE who lived and who died."

The older Danvers sister perched her hands on her hips and looked down as it all finally made sense. Kara had chosen to save James and Winn and the guilt was killing her.

"That's the epic responsibility that comes with great power." J'Onn spoke up from the doorway. "Kara, the most difficult thing about knowing you have the power to save people is accepting that you can't save everyone."

Turning around and leaning her back against the wall, Kara looked at the ceiling. "I know. It just hurts." She looked them then. "Does this get easier?"

"No," Alex and J'Onn answered at the same time. "But at least you have people who understand," Alex added, smiling at her.

Kara nodded and then straightened. "I have to take this picture to the police… well… Kara Danvers does. How on Earth am I going to explain this one?" She sighed and headed out the door. "What a day."

..

Pushing her glasses a little higher on her nose, Kara waited as the detective assigned to the case examined the picture again.

"So, Miss Danvers, tell me again why you received this?" Detective Morris asked, loosening his tie.

"I guess it's because I kind of know Supergirl," Kara replied. "Not very well. My boss, Cat Grant, knows her better than I do. I only met her like once… ever… but since I'm Miss Grant's assistant, I guess the guy thought that I would be a good person to…" She paused when she saw the detective's raised eyebrow. "Sorry, I'm just a bit freaked out."

"Understandably," he commented. "Does Miss Grant or Supergirl know about this?"

"Not yet. I don't really know how to contact Supergirl but Miss Grant does."

"Ok, I think you can go but I need you to do me a favor, Miss Danvers. Can you ask Miss Grant to contact Supergirl and ask her to come down here? I'd like to talk to her."

"Sure, I can call her now if you want?"

The detective handed Kara back her phone. She had made a formal statement and the techs had already finished with it and copied the data they needed off of it so she dialed Cat and waited.

"Kara, are you ok? Cat asked immediately. "Alex called me…"

"Miss Grant! Hi!" Kara said loudly. "I'm sorry to bother you but I'm with the police. Detective Morris needs to talk to Supergirl. Could you please contact her and send her down here? Fifth Precinct. The detective said I could go as soon as I talked to you."

"Ok, Kara," Cat replied. "I'll get in touch with Supergirl and talk to you later."

"Thank you. Bye." With a smile, Kara stood up. "Ok, Detective, let me know if you need anything else from me."

The detective stood and shook her hand. "Thank you, Miss Danvers, I will."

Kara made her way out of the police station and stopped at a food cart for some coffee. It was already starting to get dark so she walked as she drank it and then ducked into an alley to change. This was going to be the hardest part. As Supergirl, she had to react to seeing the picture for the first time all over again. She found herself wishing that Cat was there. "Alright, suck it up, Danvers,' she muttered to herself, setting her phone to silent and heading for the police station once again.

Having landed in front of the precinct, Supergirl climbed the steps and approached the desk sergeant. "Hi, Supergirl to see Detective Morris please. He asked me to come by."

The man's mouth opened but nothing came out. Instead, he lifted the phone and dialed an extension, never taking his eyes off of her. "Dan, Supergirl is here to see you… Ok… I'll send her up." He pointed at the stairs and Kara nodded with a chuckle.

"I'll find him." She felt every set of eyes on her as usual but squared her shoulders and settled herself as she climbed the stairs and walked across the room to the desk she'd visited earlier. Morris was sitting there filling out his report and she waited for him to look up. "Detective."

He immediately stood and held out his hand, shaking hers with a gentle grip. Then he offered her a chair. "Miss Supergirl… wow… you're taller than I realized."

With a grin, Kara swept her cape to one side and sat down. "It's the boots." She crossed her legs. "Miss Grant said you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Thank you for coming in. Do you know Kara Danvers?"

"Yes, of course. She's Miss Grant's assistant. I've met her."

Morris nodded. "Good. So, Miss Danvers paid us a visit in connection with our deceased Supergirl dress-alike."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why? Is Kara ok?"

"Oh yes," Morris opened a paper file and sorted through its contents. "Miss Danvers is fine but she received this picture by text message and brought it in as quickly as she could. It's not very pleasant and she was understandably upset…"

Supergirl leaned forward as he placed the photograph on the top of the pile. Kara needn't have worried though. Seeing the picture again was just as painful as seeing it the first time and she sucked in a breath as tears instantly rose in her eyes. "I knew her," she said softly. "She was an employee at CatCo. I have friends who work there and I met her through them. During the mind control attack, she and two others were coerced into jumping off the building." She swallowed the lump in her throat that was making it hard to speak. "I could only save two of them." She shook her head. "This picture though. Why would someone send it to Kara?"

The detective nodded. "I'm sorry, Miss Supergirl. I can only imagine how hard that must have been for you." He cleared his throat then. "Miss Danvers thought it was sent to her because of her connection to Miss Grant and by extension to you. Disrespectful as it is, this photograph has been extremely helpful. We did some preliminary investigation into Kelly's background, trying to figure out why she in particular was used to threaten you. Did you know she had a son?"

"A son? No, I didn't." Kara said. "I didn't really know her well."

"She was sixteen when she had him. His name is Jack Harris and he's seventeen now. Thing is, he's been a resident of Elm View Psychiatric Hospital for the past year. He was confined there after hitting his friend with a stolen car over a ten dollar bill they found on the street. At the moment, he's my prime suspect."

Kara shook her head. "But if he's confined, it can't be him, right?"

"He escaped with some other patients. The day you stopped the mind control attack."

Supergirl leaned back and huffed out a breath in disgust. "Why am I only hearing about this now? How many escapees?"

Morris was just as annoyed as Supergirl was. "It's a private facility so they elected to handle it internally. There are six patients missing. I'll be looking into that separately."

"So what's the plan?" Kara asked. "I understand that he's angry that his Mom died and he blames me for it… but does he not understand that he can't just kill me? Even if I'm unconscious and he pushes me out of an airplane, all he'll get is a big crater and a really pissed off Supergirl in a dusty suit." Morris laughed and Supergirl shrugged. "It's true."

"I know." His chuckles wound down. "I guess we just do the leg work till we find him." He paused then and tilted his head. "You know… there is one thing you can do for me if you would?"

"Anything, Detective."

"Ever been fishing?"

Supergirl grinned. "You're going to use me as bait."

"Exactly. How can I contact you?"

"Call Kara Danvers. I'll check in with her often."

Morris held out his hand and Supergirl shook it firmly. "Thank you, Miss Supergirl."

..

Kara dropped onto her couch and stretched out on it. It had been a long day and she was a little tired but there was one thing she really wanted.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Cat. "Hey... I just got home."

"Are you ok?" Splashing noises indicated that Cat was in the bath.

"Yeah..."

"Liar."

Tears rose in Kara's eyes again. "Yeah…" she repeated.

"Want to talk about it? Say yes."

"I got a picture texted to me today. It was Kelly… in her coffin… She was… broken." The younger woman scrubbed her hand through her hair. "It had a caption about wanting to kill me. The police found out that Kelly had a son."

Cat sighed. "Jack."

"You knew?"

"Yes, but I would never have broken Kelly's confidence, Kara."

With a smile, Kara nodded to herself. "You're good at keeping secrets."

"When I have to."

There was a comfortable silence between them for a moment. Then Kara cleared her throat. "So Jack escaped and the police think it was him who killed that young woman dressed like me. Now he's going to try to kill me."

"But why?"

"Because I let his mother die."

Cat sat forward. "Kara. I was there. You didn't LET anyone die."

"That's what everyone keeps telling me," the younger woman replied. "So why does it hurt so much and why do I feel responsible?"

"Come to my house. Carter is getting ready for bed at the moment and he'll be out like a light by the time you get here."

"I want to but…"

"No buts. I'll leave the front door unlocked."

"Thirty minutes."

..

"God, I REALLY wish I could get drunk." Kara was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked up. She was dressed in jeans and a button down shirt and Cat was curled up next to her. They had a glass of wine each and some TV show that Kara had never seen before was playing in the background. "I like his superhero outfit."

Cat's hand curled around Kara's knee. "It's not as cool as yours."

"Oh you mean the one that looks like a color wheel threw up?" the younger blonde teased.

Cat just chuckled. "I had to cover for the fact that I think you look hot in it and I wasn't sure if you had caught me staring."

"Ooohhh… it all makes sense now." Kara drained her glass and got up to grab the bottle, refilling both glasses. "Wow, today truly sucked." She leaned her head against Cat's and allowed herself a moment of comfort as she laced their fingers together. Touching her like that was beginning to feel comfortable.

"Look at me." Cat ordered. Kara did as she was asked and her pain-filled, blue eyes glistened in the lamp light. "What happened to Kelly was tragic but it was NOT your fault," Cat said plainly. "It was Non's and that blue chick's. You saved the whole world, Kara and almost lost your own life in the process. You have to be proud of that and stop punishing yourself."

Kara nodded. "Alex said the same thing."

"We're both right. You are completely amazing, Kara Danvers, because you have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known and you always put others first." She smiled. "And THAT is what being super really is."

For a long moment, Kara searched Cat's eyes but saw only truth and before she could think any more, her heart spoke to her and, cupping the smaller woman's cheeks in her palms, she kissed her, gently at first and then more deeply when Cat responded. She ran her fingers through the older woman's soft hair and took her time exploring her mouth, loving the little moan she incited when she ran her tongue along Cat's bottom lip.

The older woman let her hands slowly move up Kara's arms, over the curves of her biceps to her shoulders and then into her hair as she deepened the kiss even further. Kara's eyes popped open when Cat did something with her tongue that sent points more southerly on her body into overload. She groaned and eased back, her breathing uneven. "Cat… I should be g…"

"Stay…" came the simple response. "There's no reason for you to be alone right now. I won't try anything... well…" She grinned and winked.

Kara sighed. "God. I really need to get out of my own head."

"Carter is definitely crushing on you," said the older woman, trying to distract her friend.

"That's sweet," Kara replied. "He understands that I'm too old for him, right?"

Cat sighed as she brought their lips together again. Then she pulled back a little and looked the younger blonde in the eyes. "There are fewer years between you and Carter than there are between you and me."

"That's different," Kara replied. "We're adults." She wrapped her arms fully around Cat. "You know, there were two reasons why Adam and I didn't work. Firstly, when I realized that Bizzaro knew who I really was, I couldn't put him in danger. But secondly, he wasn't you."

For a long moment, Cat was quiet. Then she sighed. "I was jealous… and then I was angry because I was jealous… and then I was angry at you because you made me feel jealous… then I just thought that keeping our relationship strictly professional was the only thing to do."

"That worked out well," Kara chuckled.

"Right," Cat laughed. "It was too hard. You'd come into my office and I could tell something was wrong and all I wanted to do was hug you."

"I went through a tough time with the Bizzaro thing," the younger blonde commented. "Actually, ever since I came out as Supergirl, it's been an emotional rollercoaster."

"Did you actually lose your powers the day of the earthquake?" Cat asked after a moment of thought.

"Oh…" Kara rolled her eyes. "Yes. That sucked big time." She took a sip of wine as she thought back to that day. "I had fought… something… the day before and it took everything I had to defeat it in the end. I literally blew out my powers and had to wait for them to recharge. Unfortunately, the timing couldn't have been worse. I got a cold first and then broke my arm during the earthquake and I couldn't even heal myself."

"I'm sorry." Cat finished her glass and reached over to refill it.

"For what?" Kara asked, surprised.

"Being so hard on you. Accusing you of not being there."

"No… Cat… You make me better. You pushed me. You gave me amazing advice when I was lost and had no clue what to do and most of all, you were my cheerleader when I really needed one. After the red Kryptonite crazy, I almost gave up. I almost hung up my cape for good. But it was you and Alex and James and Winn who kept me going." Kara looked down. "There are a lot of things you don't know, Cat and a lot of things I can't and won't be able to tell you… but please know this. You are as important to Supergirl as you are to Kara Danvers."

"I'm glad," Cat replied. "Because you're really important to me too."

Just then, Kara's phone vibrated and she pulled it out of her back pocket. "Hello?"

"Miss Danvers, this is Detective Morris. Sorry to interrupt your evening."

"No problem, Detective. What can I do for you?"

"Miss Supergirl said to call you if I needed to contact her. I hope that's ok?"

Kara lifted an eyebrow at Cat, who had opened a couple of buttons on the younger woman's shirt and was exploring with her lips and tongue. "Sure, no problem. She told me you might call. I can pass on a message."

"Well," Morris began. "I wanted to ask her about being part of an operation to draw out our suspect. Could you ask her to give me a call or drop by the station as soon as she can?"

"I can absolutely do that." Cat was nibbling on her neck now and her breathing caught. "She…um… she said she'd call me later so I'll let her know then."

"Great. Thank you, Miss Danvers. Enjoy the rest of your night."

'You too, goodnight." Kara hung up the phone and threw it on the coffee table as she lay down and pulled Cat on top of her. The older woman didn't waste any time and pulled open the rest of Kara's shirt, kissing her way down the hero's muscular stomach.

"No suit," she murmured.

Kara laced her fingers through Cat's hair. "No… just Kara tonight." She groaned then as Cat's lips found her breasts and her bra was lifted away but she couldn't just relax and go with it. Tears rose to her eyes and spilled over as she kept seeing Kelly's broken body behind her eyes.

Cat eased back, reaching up to wipe the tears away with her fingers. "I'm sorry," she said. "You're not ready."

The younger woman sniffled. "It's not that. I just have a lot going on in my head right now."

"It's ok. We have plenty of time, Kara, believe me." Cat moved onto her side and opened her arms to her and they finally fell asleep together.


	5. Thursday

At Cat's house.

It was very early when Kara woke up again. She was lying on her back and Cat was half on top of her, her arm curled around Kara's rib cage. For a long moment, she just let herself breathe and think. She was comfortable and she savored the skin on skin contact. It was a long time since Kara had been intimate with anyone and it felt really good to be held.

Reaching over to the coffee table, she grabbed her phone and found that she had a couple of missed calls. They were from Alex so she opened a text and tapped out a few lines. I'm ok. Just stayed at Cat's last night. I'll call you later. Then she gently stroked Cat's back to wake her up. "Morning," she smiled. "It's dark o'clock but I have to get going."

"Ok," the older woman replied and, after spending a few leisurely moments kissing, Kara slid out from under her boss and fixed her bra and shirt but as she turned to head for the door... "Kara?"

"Hmm?"

"Glasses."

"Oh right," the young woman chuckled and grabbed them off the coffee table. "Thanks."

"See you at the office."

Kara blew her a kiss from the door before heading out.

..

After a quick stop at home to shower and change, Kara flew to the station to see Detective Morris. He looked tired and unshaven but he straightened his tie and smiled when he saw her. "Thanks for coming in again so soon, Miss Supergirl. I know you have a lot on."

Taking a seat, Supergirl smiled. "Not a problem. So what can I do?"

"Remember we talked about bait?"

"Yes."

"Well, I have an idea." He pulled an invitation out of his drawer and handed it to her. "I'd like to formally invite you to be the parade lead for the NCPD parade on Saturday."

Kara read the invitation and a slow smile spread across her lips. "I get it. Stay up front, x-ray vision, super speed, bullet proof. Draw out the bad guy but keep the people around me safe. Nice!"

"So you'll do it?"

"Hell yeah." Kara held out her hand for a fist bump which the detective returned with a chuckle.

"Great. The parade starts at ten so meet here at about 9 to brief the team, ok?"

"You got it. See you then."

Kara headed on to work and landed on the roof of her usual coffee place before changing and picking up Cat's breakfast and coffee. The older woman was already at work when she arrived and she went straight into her office. "Good morning, Miss Grant."

"Kara," Cat replied without looking up. "Is it too much to ask that my coffee be here when I arrive?"

"Why did you arrive so early?" Kara asked with a little smile.

"Well someone woke me up early this morning so I just decided to get up and come in."

"I see, Miss Grant. Well I hope that doesn't happen again."

Now Cat looked up at her, lifting an eyebrow and lowering her voice. "On the contrary, I hope it happens many more times," she said sexily.

Kara fixed her glasses and chuckled. "Me too." She pulled out her tablet and looked at Cat's schedule for the day. "You have a lunch spot. Can I slot Supergirl in there?"

Cat leaned back in her chair and smiled. "No, but you can slot you in there."

"M... me?"

The Queen of All Media nodded. "I'm not in a… whatever we're in… with just Supergirl. I'm in it with you, Kara and if we're going to be seen in public, it can't be just with Supergirl, right?"

For a long moment, Kara just blinked at her. Cat got up and walked around the desk. "Are we hiding this? I mean, if you're uncomfortable with people knowing, that's fine. We can just keep it between us. But I'm far from ashamed that a gorgeous young woman is interested in me."

Again Kara just blinked at her and Cat was about to walk back around her desk when she reached out and took her hand. "I'm not ashamed either but people will talk. Are you ok with that?"

Cat rolled her eyes. "Oh please. People talk about me all the time. I don't care." Then, without as much as a thought, she kissed Kara briefly on the cheek and then went back to her email.

Kara turned and strolled out of the office, a little blush on her cheeks and she winked at Winn as she passed by his desk. His mouth was hanging open but he followed her to her office. "Did I just… Did you just… Did Miss Grant just…?" He took a breath. "What don't I know?" He sat quietly as Kara filled him in on everything from the past few days that he didn't know and at the end, he just shook his head. "Wow."

"I know," Kara replied. "It's a lot."

"Miss Grant..." Winn got up and paced a little. "Are you sure about this?"

Kara smiled. "I know it seems sudden but it isn't, for either of us. It's been happening for a long time. As Supergirl, I've spent a lot of time with her too that you nor anyone else ever gets to see. I think I realized I was feeling something for her during the Myriad thing. She was so supportive of me, even after I threw her off her balcony and it turns out that it was because she has feelings for me too."

"For Supergirl, you mean," Winn replied, somewhat snippily.

Kara tilted her head and took a breath, slightly surprised by her friend's tone. Then she remembered the fact that Winn was still in love with her. "No", she said softly. "For me. For all of me."

"I'm sorry, Kara." Winn shook his head. "I'm happy for you. I hope things work out." He got up and headed out.

Kara picked up a pencil and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. The pencil quickly snapped in her fingers. "Dammit."

..

"So you're going to be leading the parade as a ruse to bring out whomever is trying to kill you?" Cat asked. "Kara, is that safe?"

"For me?" Kara asked after taking a sip of water. They were having lunch at Cat's favorite sushi place. "Sure. I'm pretty impervious to weapons of any kind. As long as he doesn't have Kryptonite."

"Tell me about Kryptonite?" the older woman asked.

"It's a substance from my world with a specific radioactive signature that can really hurt me." She looked down. "It's the only thing that I know of that can for sure kill me."

"And what if this guy… assuming that it IS Jack… has this substance?" Cat asked worriedly.

Kara took Cat's hand, lacing their fingers together and trying to reassure her. "It's extremely unlikely that he would have it. I only learned about its existence when I first… you know. And Kal-El has only come across it a few times."

"So…" A new voice boomed. "You're back eating at the blonde moppet bar again, Catherine. This one's actually a hot piece of ass."

Kara and Cat looked up at the new voice. Kara didn't recognize the man and raised an eyebrow at Cat, who sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Oh Randall. Jealousy is not a good color on you. It clashes with your tie."

The newcomer looked at Kara and shook his head. "Be careful of this one, Honey Buns. She's just as much claws and hisses on the inside as she is on the outside. You think she's a good person? She's not! She'll drop you like a hot rock as soon as she loses interest in you and you'll never see that meal ticket again."

For a long moment, Kara said nothing but then she slowly stood up and held out her hand with a big smile. "Hello. My name is actually Kara, not Honey Buns." And when the man grasped her hand, she squeezed just a little tighter than she should have, not enough to crush his fingers but just enough to make him howl and grab his hand back. "Oh, I'm sorry," the young blonde said innocently. "I guess I'm stronger than I thought… or maybe…" She sobered as her blue eyes turned cold. "You should keep your mouth shut and your opinion to yourself... especially since you have no idea what Cat and I have."

Randall stumbled backward and bumped into a waiter who looked between him and Kara. "Is there a problem, Ma'am?" he asked, seeing how annoyed the blonde looked.

"Not anymore," Kara replied coldly as she perched her fists on her hips and kept her eyes on the man who had insulted Cat. She was every bit Supergirl right at that moment. "Have a nice day, Randall." She sat back down as he hurried away, cradling his hand she tossed her napkin on the table, huffing out an annoyed breath. "Ass." Then she looked at Cat, who had a pretty inscrutable look on her face. "Um… what…?"

The look changed to one of wonder. "No one has ever defended me like that before. Do you know who that was, Kara?"

"No… No, I don't."

"That was my bullying, abusive, ex-husband."

Kara's face fell. "Oh… I'm so sorry, Cat. I just lost my temper when he said those things about you and…" She stopped when Cat took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"I love you, Kara." Silence. Blinking. Silence. "You have super-hearing. I know you heard me."

"I… I… yes, I heard you… wow... I just wasn't expecting…" The younger blonde's face lit up then and she leaned across the table to kiss Cat's lips. "That's so sweet and amazing. I…"

Just then, she froze as her hearing picked something up. "What is it?" Cat asked quietly.

"I can hear screaming," Kara replied. "I have to…" The screams were closer now and it made the hero wince and cover one ear.

"Go," the older blonde replied, giving her a little pat. "I'll see you back at the office." She watched as Kara exited through the back into the alley and then quickly dropped some cash on the table to cover the check. Cat headed outside to grab a cab but she suddenly heard a loud boom and spun around to see Kara lying on her side in a shallow crater in the middle of the street. "Supergirl!"

People started slowly moving towards the superhero but Cat beat them to her, kneeling next to her and gently pushing her hair back from her face. Kara groaned and rolled onto her back as she blinked. "Watch that last step," she murmured as she sat up. "It sucks." Cat helped her to her feet and Kara gazed up at the sky, her eyes narrowing as she tried to find what had hit her. "Stand back, Hon." She lifted her fists and bent her knees, shooting up into the sky and then hovering above a building. She was barely a speck to Cat's normal vision but she did her best to follow what was going on as Kara engaged something that the older blonde couldn't quite make out.

"Who are you?" Supergirl yelled as she separated from the man she was fighting. He wasn't Kryptonian, since he actually had large black wings attached to his shoulder blades. She suddenly was reminded of that guy from X-Men.

"My name is Jack and you killed my mother!" Kara was speechless. Everything had suddenly changed. "And now I'm going to kill you, Supergirl!"

Kara dodged his lunge and held up her hands. "Wait… please… Jack… I knew your mother. She was my friend." She dodged again and pushed him as he passed by her. "She was a good and kind person and I'm sorry she died. I couldn't save her. I wanted to but I couldn't. Even I have my limitations, Jack."

But Kara could see that he wasn't listening to her. "I may not be a fast or as strong as you, Supergirl, but I WILL KILL YOU!" And with that, he flew away. Kara let him go. She understood the anger and pain and she still thought she could get through to him somehow. She slowly flew back to ground and landed next to Cat again.

"It was Jack. He's managed to somehow mutate himself. He has wings and he's strong now. Stronger than any normal human would be." She sighed as they walked along the street, ignoring the stares they were getting. She stopped then and wrapped her arms around Cat's waist, lifting her onto her boots. "Let me give you a ride back." They rose into the air and Cat closed her eyes, gripping Kara's biceps tightly and then wrapping her arms around her neck. "It's ok," the younger blonde reassured her. "I won't let you fall. I'll drop you off at CatCo. and then I need to speak to Alex and Detective Morris about Jack." They slowly rose and glided through the air and Kara chuckled. "Hey, look at me," she said. Slowly the older blonde's eyes opened and gazed at her and when they were out of eyeshot, Supergirl grinned. "Hi," she said and ducked her head to kiss Cat gently. The kiss was returned and when they eased back, Supergirl hugged her. "I love you," she whispered as they touched down on the roof. Cat's arms just tightened around her until finally Kara chuckled. "As much as I'd love to do this all day, you have a two o'clock and I have to get back to work too."

"I know," Cat replied. "I'll see you later." She walked down the steps to the roof access door and with a little look back, headed back to her office.

Kara pulled out her cell phone and dialed Alex. "Hey, listen we have a problem. That guy we talked about, the guy who sent me that picture? He's a meta-human. He has wings. I just went toe to toe with him in the sky over downtown."

"Oh my God. Are you ok?" Alex replied.

"Yeah, I'm fine but I think the NCPD is going to need some help with this guy. Think you might be able to put a team together for me? I'm going to need backup and they're not prepared to deal with this."

"The police have already advertised that you're going to be the lead in that parade so it's a perfect opportunity for him to attack you. I'll have a team ready."

"Let's just see if we can drug him and take him in to the DEO. Thanks, Alex."

"Not a problem. Oh hey, how are things going with you and Cat?"

"She told me she loves me," Kara replied softly. "And I'm falling for her more and more with every moment we spend together, Alex. She's very different with me now. I had no idea of how loving and affectionate she can be."

"Awww…" the older Danvers sister chuckled. "You sound happy. Come by and see me later, if you get a chance, ok?"

"I'll try. I have to go see Detective Morris and then I REALLY have to get back to work. I have a list of things as long as my arm to get finished today, even with super speed."

..

By the time Kara reached the DEO that evening, it was dark. She dropped into the launch bay and felt kind of guilty when she saw the patch of fresh cement that was drying where she had cracked the floor. She walked from the bay to the command center to find Alex wasn't there so she went to her sister's lab and to the mess hall. Still no Alex. There was only one place left to check and that was her sister's private quarters so she headed over there and rapped on the door. "Alex, you in there?"

"Uh… just a second. Do NOT use your x-ray vision."

Kara chuckled. She knew what was going on. "You forgot to put the sock on the door," she teased. "I'll see you later. Meet you in the command center." She didn't wait for an answer but instead, made her way back to command. She dropped into a chair, expecting to find Agent Vasquez there but there was another agent in her chair. "Hey, where's Vasquez?"

The agent shrugged. "I think she and Agent Danvers went to a strategy meeting or something."

"She and Agent Danvers. I see," Kara nodded with a little smile. "Ok. Well, I'll get going then. Let them know I dropped by please?"

Supergirl walked back to the landing bay, tapping out a text message as she went. Gotta get going. Have fun in your strategy session with Agent Vasquez ;-) Love you.

Then she texted Cat. Where are you? I'll drop by before I go home.

At the office still. See you soon.

Kara landed on the roof of CatCo moments later and changed into her normal clothes as she moved down the stairs. She walked through Cat's office to find her in her favorite place; the balcony.

"Hey," she greeted as she dropped into the chair next to her friend and leaned over to kiss her. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Busy," Cat admitted. "But I finally closed that deal to be able to keep publishing CatCo Magazine in the UK. I'm pretty sure that it was you who swung the deal though."

"Me, how?" Kara asked, surprised.

"Yes," Cat chuckled. "The UK doesn't have any superheroes and apparently Prince Harry thinks you're hot."

"So does Jeb Bush apparently," the younger blonde added, rolling her eyes.

Cat's fingers laced with Kara's. "So how was the rest of YOUR day?"

Kara shrugged. "Pretty good. I got to talk to the Detective and Alex is going to arrange a team to back me up on Saturday. The NCPD are not really equipped to handle a meta-human so I thought it would be safer for everyone with her there. I also got all my list of stuff done here so I'm all caught up. Oh… and I think my sister is having a liaison with one of her co-workers." She chuckled. "She did the don't use your x-ray vision thing when I knocked on her door." She laughed lightly. "I'm pleased for her. Vasquez is a really nice woman."

Cat grinned. "Woman, huh? Nice. So what are you going to do with Jack when you catch him?"

"I guess Alex and Hank will take him somewhere safe but I really want to try to get through to him. I don't want him to die. He needs a lot of help."

For a moment, they were quiet and just looked out over the city. "Tired?" Cat finally asked then glanced at Kara. "Do you get tired?"

"Yeah, I do sometimes," Kara replied. "Depends on what the day's been like."

"It's a little strange. I feel like I need to get to know you all over again," the older woman commented. "I don't even know where you live."

"Why don't you come to my place for pizza and a movie? That's what we normal folks do after work."

"Sounds like a plan. Oh by the way, Carter asked me if you're still coming for dinner tomorrow night."

"I sure am. I'm looking forward to it. Wow, it seems like an age since Monday. So much has happened." Kara got up and offered her hand to her friend. "What movies do you like?"

"Anything horror or action," Cat replied taking the hand and following Kara to the elevators.

"YESS!" Kara pumped her free fist and then grinned. "Alex and I can hardly every agree on movies. What's your favorite pizza?"

"Chicken, onion, extra cheese." They got into Cat's private elevator and headed down.

"That'll work!"

..

"So, I guess we're going to have to watch that movie again at some point," Kara murmured as she ran her fingertips down Cat's bare back.

"Mmmm…" the older woman replied sleepily. She nuzzled the soft skin under her cheek and sighed. "Someday."

Reaching for the back of the couch, Kara pulled a blanket down onto them and covered their bare bodies. She didn't feel the cold but she wanted to make sure that Cat didn't get chilled. "I'm a little nervous about Saturday," she confessed quietly. "I'm scared someone will get hurt."

"Do you worry about Alex?"

With a small nod, the younger blonde sighed. "Yes, I'm always worried about her. She's fantastic at what she does but she's human and vulnerable. I'm just afraid that the day will come where I can't save her."

Cat traced her fingertips along Kara's collarbone. "I just realized something," she said.

"What's that?"

"I had sex with an alien."

Kara started to laugh and she gently pushed Cat's hair back from her face to kiss her. "And how was it?"

"I just have one question."

"Hmmm?"

"Can we do it again?"

"Oh… definitely…"


	6. Friday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter and please note that the end of it is a little more explicit than the others. As I said before, nothing smutty but this is a SuperCat story after all. Fair warning!

Morning. Once again, Kara came face to face with the older, slightly intimidating candidate for the position of Cat's assistant. "Please take a seat and thank you for coming in, Maria."

"Thank you for inviting me back." The woman had dark, shoulder length hair with deep brown eyes and a kind face. Her voice was soft but she spoke with a confidence that showed her years of experience.

"I'm going to be honest with you." Kara sighed and leaned back in her chair. "You're the only candidate that I feel could do the job. I've been Miss Grant's assistant for two years now and, frankly, she's not easy to work for. She can be difficult and she's VERY honest… about pretty much everything. You'd be technically reporting to me but she'll be in charge."

"I'm not afraid of that," Maria replied with a smile. "In fact I welcome it. But why did you stay working for her all that time if she's as difficult as you say?"

"It's complicated," the younger woman replied. "But if you want to take the job, it's yours and I'll answer that question."

Maria thought about that for a moment. Fancy office, fancy boss, ok pay. "Alright, Miss Danvers, I'll take it."

"It's Kara and Miss Grant and I are actually in a relationship. It's not common knowledge really but it's something that you need to know as her assistant."

The dark woman chuckled. "That explains it. Your eyes light up when you talk about her. Ok, Kara, when do I start?"

"Well, the first thing you have to do is meet Miss Grant, then we can get you settled at your new desk and I can start training you. I'll make sure HR records today as your first day so you can get paid. Come with me."

Kara led Maria along the corridor to Cat's office and knocked on the door. "Excuse me, Miss Grant. I'd like you to meet your new assistant."

Looking over the top of her glasses, Cat waved the women in. "Well come in. Don't make me squint."

Kara grinned and pushed the door open further, allowing Maria to walk in ahead of her. "This is Maria Downes. She's very experienced. In fact, she used to work at the Tribune."

Maria offered her hand to Cat, who stood and shook it. "You dress very well, you're not a millennial and you look like you have a brain in your head. However, since I won't remember your name, I'll be calling you Kiera." Kara stifled a smile behind a cough. "Kara, I expect you to tell Kiera everything she needs to know and for this to be a seamless transition."

The younger blonde nodded seriously. "Yes, of course, Miss Grant."

"Good, now go book my eyebrow wax with Arabella tomorrow morning at nine, Kiera. Chop chop."

"Yes, Miss Grant." Maria replied and followed Kara out of the room. When they were outside, the older woman laughed lightly. "That woman is going to be fun to work for… and boy… she loves you."

Kara blushed as she handed over her tablet and handed it to the new employee. "How do you know?"

"It's just the way she looks at you. You'd have to be blind to not see it."

"Then I was blind for way too long," Kara chuckled.

"So… um… Arabella?"

"Right!" They spent the rest of the day together going through everything. Kara arranged for Winn to set up equipment for Maria. She also got her a desk phone number assigned and made sure she was settled at her own old desk. While he was working and Maria had popped to the bathroom, Kara tried to talk to him. "Are you still mad at me?"

The man shook his head and sighed. "I'm not mad. You feel how you feel."

"I feel like you think I betrayed you."

"That's not what I think. I don't know, Kara, I just feel like you've had a crush on everyone except me."

For a moment, Kara didn't know whether she should feel insulted or not. "Winn," she rubbed his arm. "You're my absolute best friend and you know I'd do anything for you." He nodded. "What I have with Cat is not a crush. I fell in love with her so slowly that I almost missed it myself. That makes me sort of an idiot but you know, I really want you to be happy for me."

"Yeah," Winn bumped her with his shoulder. "It kinda does make you an idiot." They laughed together and hugged. "I'm happy for you, Kara. I want you to be happy."

"Thank you, Winn." Just then Maria came back, looking between them as she caught the tail end of the hug. Kara waited while her friend showed the new employee how to set her passwords and had an idea. "How about we all do drinks next week? You guys up for it? I can ask James too." She looked at Maria. "You'll like him a lot. He's cool."

"Sounds great," Winn replied. Maria nodded too.

Kara smiled. "Great."

"Kara!"

"Uh…" The blonde glanced at her boss, who was wiggling her finger at her. "Excuse me." She pushed open the office doors and went inside. "Hey, what's up?"

"I just wanted to check that you and Supergirl are still free for dinner tonight? Carter called me. He's excited and nervous."

"Yes, of course I'll be there but…" Kara took a seat in Cat's guest chair and crossed her legs. "Are you planning on telling him about us at some point?"

The older blonde pushed her glasses up on her nose and leaned back in her chair. "I was going to tell him tonight actually but I think it might be better coming from both of us."

"Is he going to be hurt?"

Cat sighed. "He may but we just have to be careful."

"Ok, because that's the LAST thing I want."

"I know. So will I send the car for you tonight?"

"The… the car…?"

Cat laughed. "Kara, would you rather take the bus? You're my girlfriend. There are perks you know."

"That's just not me, Cat."

The media mogul shrugged. "Ok." Then she put her pen down. "Kara, are you ok? You don't seem happy… If this…" She indicated between the two of them. "… is not what you want…"

Kara immediately shook her head. "I want this," she replied softly. "But it's hard to just let go and enjoy it when there's someone out there who wants to kill me and I don't have any clue when he's actually going to try."

"I can definitely understand that," the older blonde replied. "Alright, well, make sure Kiera has everything she needs and I'll see you later. I have a meeting downtown to go to."

"Are you really going to call her that?"

With a wink, Cat nodded. "It rolls off the tongue."

..

At seven, Kara knocked on Cat's door. She was dressed in figure-hugging grey pants with black boots and a blue patterned shirt. Her hair was just flowing freely. She took off her glasses and put them in her purse. She didn't need them here. For the first time, her look was the perfect combination of Kara Danvers and Supergirl and the two bottles of wine under her arm just added to the picture.

Cat opened the door and just gazed at her for a long moment. Then she stepped forward and put her hands on Kara's hips, kissing her as she moved back and drew the younger woman inside. "You're gorgeous," she murmured appreciatively, letting her hands explore a little over the hero's curves.

Her words ignited a slow burn in Kara as she returned the kisses, letting her free hand run through Cat's hair. The older woman was wearing a simple but elegant white blouse and black pants combination. It was one of the outfits that Kara loved on her. "You too," she replied. Then she stepped back and held out the bottles. "I got these this afternoon from a little vineyard in southern California. I'm no wine expert but I thought you'd like to try it."

Cat looked surprised. "Thank you."

Kara grinned and used Cat's words from earlier. "You're my girlfriend. There are perks, you know."

"Touché," the older woman smiled as she examined the labels. "Vintage. Nice."

"They were a gift. I helped with a fire that was going to wipe out their business."

"Well, thank you for bringing them," Cat smiled as she pushed the door closed. "We can have them with the Chinese that Carter wants to order."

A return smile lit up Kara's face making her eyes twinkle. "I love Chinese and I'm starving after fighting that fire." Cat went to get drinks so Kara made her way into the living room where Carter was playing a video game from his wheelchair.

He paused the game and grinned as the blonde leaned over and hugged him. "Hey Kara!"

"Hey Carter. How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you. It doesn't hurt as much. I think I'll be going back to school in a week or so.

"That's great." Kara sat down in the loveseat and crossed her legs but Carter's eyes never left her and she cleared her throat a little and tilted her head, making him blush. "So what are you playing?"

"The new version of Doom. Mom got it for me before it was officially released. She has a friend at the game company."

Kara nodded letting herself feel the jealousy for a moment. She was fully aware of who Cat's former friends had been. She'd made a lot of dinner reservations over the years with various men on her boss's behalf. But then Cat returned with drinks and the look in her eyes sent the jealousy away. "Cool. You're lucky that your Mom knows so many awesome people."

"You're the most awesome," the boy quickly replied. "Of everyone."

"Awwww… thanks, Carter," the hero grinned. "That's really sweet."

Cat sighed. "Carter, Sweetheart, we need to talk." She took a seat next to Kara and put her hand on her knee. "I know you like Kara a lot and I… WE… need to be completely honest with you. I… Kara and I…" She paused, momentarily unable to find the words she needed.

For a long moment, there was silence as Carter looked back and forth between them and finally, Kara took the lead. "Carter, your Mom and I fell in love and we've been in a relationship for a short time now. We don't want you to be hurt or angry but we owe you the truth. You mean too much to both of us to keep this from you."

Carter's face fell. "Oh… I see… Well, I guess I'm not surprised. She's beautiful and rich and powerful and you're… Supergirl…" He shrugged and looked down dejectedly. "I'm just a kid."

Kara got up and went to him, crouching down in front of him and gently tipping his chin up so she could look into his eyes. "You are much more than just a kid to me," she replied. "The way you were so brave on the train and helped Mr. Lord get the passengers to safety… the way you've dealt with having two broken legs… and the way you've opened your heart to me and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can trust you with my secret... You're a VERY special young man, Carter." She squeezed his shoulder. "I want us to be the best of friends. Can we do that?"

The young man's face eased into a smile and Cat breathed again. "Yeah, I'd really like that."

"Awesome, that means a lot to me… to both of us," the hero replied, glancing back at Cat and winking at her. "Ok, so I do believe that I was promised Chinese food and I'm so starving I could eat a whole cow right now!" Cat produced a menu and after a few minutes of playful argument over what to order, called in for delivery. While they waited, Carter showed Kara how to play Doom and they were both engrossed in the game. Kara was sitting cross-legged on the floor with her back leaning against Cat's legs and at one point, got so excited that she floated herself into the air. "Take that, monster-zombie… thingy!" she yelled but when she looked at Cat and Carter, who were laughing, she blushed a little and lowered herself back to the floor. "Whoops."

Cat leaned forward to kiss her head and nuzzle her hair. "You are definitely adorable." Then she whispered softly into her ear. "And later on, when Carter is gone to bed. I'm going to make you yell something different."

Blue eyes darkened a little. "Ooohh… I can't wait…," Kara replied just as softly. Just then the doorbell rang and she got up and headed to the door. Moments later, she returned and knelt down at the coffee table, handing out various dishes and chopsticks before sitting next to Cat with her container of pot stickers. Carter was happily chewing on an egg roll and the older blonde was leaning against her. Kara put her arm around Cat and popped a pot sticker into her mouth, chewing as she wondered if this was what having a family of her own would feel like. Her's and Cat's relationship was very new and they were both inching their way through it but she felt comfortable being there. She just wished that the bad stuff was already over with.

After dinner, a couple more rounds of Doom and a game of how-many-peanuts-can-Kara-catch-in-her-mouth-before-dropping-one, Carter yawned and his Mom to help him upstairs. Kara gently lifted him and carried him up the stairs to his bedroom closely followed by Cat, who was carrying his folded wheelchair.

"Thanks, SuperKara," Carter said jokingly as she sat him on the bed.

"Night, Sweetie," the blonde replied, kissing his forehead. "Sleep well." She headed back downstairs while Cat helped her son get into bed. She was relaxing with her eyes closed when Cat strolled in and sat in her lap, wrapping her arms around her neck. "You know," Kara began as she fingered the buttons on Cat's blouse. "I love this outfit on you but I've been wanting to get you out of it all evening." The hero moved them to where she was half-lying on Cat, supporting her weight on her left arm. The first few buttons of the older woman's shirt popped open and the hero ducked her head to kiss down Cat's chest and along her bra line.

"Really?" Cat replied a little breathlessly as she pushed Kara's hair back from her eyes. She loved those blue eyes and she realized they were the real reason she'd thought Kara was Supergirl. Her eyes didn't lie when you looked past the glasses.

"Mmmhmm…" More buttons opened and soon Cat was completely exposed to the coolness of the room as her blouse and bra were tossed onto the floor. Then Kara's hands and lips were warming her and she arched her back with a soft groan, lacing her fingers through her lover's thick blonde hair again and pulling her closer. Gentle lips and teeth nipped her breasts and stomach and her breathing sped up as Kara's thigh moved between her legs and pressed firmly against her.

"Kara…" Cat's fingers fluttered over the younger woman's face as their eyes met, blue to brown. Without breaking eye contact, Kara relieved her lover of the rest of her clothes and then lifted herself up to remove her own clothes. They pressed their bodies together as their lips met and then Cat's legs wrapped around Kara's waist as she arched against her muscular stomach. "Kara… please…"

The hero murmured softly as her hand released one of Cat's legs from around her waist and her fingertips very slowly stroked through warm wetness. "Is this what you want?" she whispered as her own body trembled.

"Together," Cat replied as her own fingers found Kara's center and slipped inside her making her groan and do the same. Then they were on their sides rocking against each other, lips and legs locked, sharing moans that just increased their arousal until Kara's body arched, followed a moment later by her lover and their cries mingled in the otherwise quiet room.

Then they lay together for a while. Kara just let her head rest on Cat's chest as her breathing and heart rate settled and Cat's fingers moved through her hair, slowly sorting through the thick strands and giving her scalp a little scratch. "You're the first woman I've ever made love with," the younger woman finally murmured.

"Never would have guessed," Cat replied sleepily. "Guess you're good at pretty much everything," she chuckled.

"Not always," Kara replied, resting her chin on Cat's breast and gazing up at her. "Like you told me when I first came out as Supergirl. It takes practice. Start small, get better."

The older woman closed her eyes and smiled. "I'm always up for practice. Can you stay?" she replied. "Funnily, I'd like to actually sleep with you in my bed," she added teasingly.

"I can stay," Kara smiled. "I'll have to head home at about seven though. I have to meet Alex and Detective Morris at the precinct at nine."

"Can't you go straight from here?" Cat asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"No suit, remember? I have to go home first and change."

"Ahhh, ok. Well c'mon." She bounced Kara a little, making her chuckle and get up. Then they collected their clothes and headed upstairs.


	7. Saturday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter for now but I'm aware that I did leave some stuff not completely cleaned up. If you want me to, I can continue a little more with this in a new follow up story. All depends on feedback!

Morning. Nine A.M. Alex was waiting for Kara with her team of DEO agents when she landed outside the precinct building. The blonde hero poked her sister in the shoulder and grinned. "You and me. Drinks and catchup soon, ok?" She glanced at Agent Vasquez, who was checking her gear and mouthed at Alex. Why didn't you tell me?

The older Danvers sister grinned and bumped her a little. "It's new. I'll tell you everything later."

"Ok, c'mon. Morris is going to brief us."

The two women trotted up the steps, smiling at the desk sergeant and heading in the direction he pointed.

When they entered the situation room and moved to the front, it grew quiet and Kara perched her fists on her hips, making eye contact as she looked around. "Good morning, Officers. I'm Supergirl and this is Agent Alex Danvers," she said. "Agent Danvers, this is Detective Morris and his team." They exchanged nods.

Morris walked to a board with a map and some photographs attached. "Thanks to Miss Supergirl," he began. "We know who we're looking for. And I don't think we'll have any problems spotting him since he has a pair of wings and will be going right for our Girl of Steel here. His name is Jack Harris."

Kara nodded. "Agent Danvers heads up a team I work with closely and they will be providing backup. They have advanced weaponry and they'll drug Jack and take him away to a secure facility for treatment. I'm sorry to say it, Guys, but this is a special case. A person like this is unprecedented in National City and our prisons won't hold him."

Morris pointed to a spot on the map. "This is where the parade is starting, Miss Supergirl and we have men stationed all along the route. You'll lead off, smiling, waving etc. Will you be flying or walking?"

Supergirl chuckled. "Well, since I'm not a Macy's balloon, I think I'll probably walk," she winked as a few of the officers laughed. "Seriously though, I'm honored to be able to take part. I'll be walking but I'll be wearing an earpiece so talk to me, Guys, ok?" She looked between Alex and Morris then. "Detective, Agent Danvers, can we arrange for everyone to be on the same frequency so I can hear you all?"

"Yes, of course," Alex replied. "And, Guys I know I don't need to tell you that Jack Harris is strong, angry and very dangerous. Don't get between him and Supergirl because, believe me, she can handle him. Watch your own, each other's and the civilians' sixes." A round of nods went around the room and she turned back to Supergirl. "Give me your earpiece please." Kara handed it over, Alex agreed on a frequency with Morris and made a couple of adjustments before giving it back. "Tapping once will activate the general frequency. You'll be able to hear everything going on."

"Thanks." Kara took a breath and settled herself. "Thanks, Guys. See you at the parade route." Then she looked at Alex as the officer shuffled out of the room. "Bathroom. Need to pee."

The sisters entered the bathroom and after checking all the stalls, Alex hugged Kara tightly. "I know you're scared, Kara, but these guys and my guys all know what they're doing. Let us back you up, ok? You don't have to do this alone."

"I know, Alex and thank you. Go ahead and get the team ready. I'll meet you at the starting point."

"Ok, see you shortly."

..

"I love you," Kara said. She was sitting on the edge of the roof of a building overlooking the parade starting point, her legs swinging a bit in the wind. "I just wanted to tell you that before I have to go."

"And I love you," Cat replied. "You'll be careful, right?"

"I will try. I promise. Seeya later."

"Bye, Sweetheart."

Kara heard the music start up and touched her earpiece. "Ok, Team, I'm coming in from above you. Gonna make a bit of an entrance. Guys, do NOT shoot me please," she chuckled.

"We won't if you don't break anything, SuperMenance," Alex retorted, making the officers and agents laugh.

"HA HA," Supergirl replied. "It's been at least three days since I've done that." She pushed off the edge of the roof and flew down to the ground, rolling her body through the air before touching down gently next to the Chief of Police and shaking his hand. He placed his hand on her shoulder and they stood still for a moment while the local photographers took pictures. Kara saw James Olsen there and winked at him. The crowd went wild and chanted her name as the smartly uniformed man handed her a microphone and she smiled broadly at him. "Hello, Chief. Hello, Everyone!" She waved madly.

"Hello, Supergirl!" A louder round of cheers rose. "Thank you for being here today."

"Thank you for inviting me. It's an honor to be able to lead this parade in celebration of the exceptional men and women of the National City Police Department. They do a fantastic job every day and deserve every moment of this. I know how difficult it can be to fight crime and they do it with such bravery and compassion. I'm proud of every one of them."

"Thank you for the kind words AND, since you're a difficult woman to pin down, we'd also like to thank you in return for the support and help you provide every day. It is my honor and pleasure to present you with a special National City Medal of Honor, Supergirl." He accepted a box from his colleague and opened it to remove a medal on a ribbon. Then he lifted it over Kara's head and settled it in place. Finally, he offered his hand and the hero shook it gently.

"Thank you, Chief," Kara nodded, her voice breaking with emotion as she lifted the medal to look at it. "This means a lot to me." Then she glanced in Alex's direction. Her sister was wiping a tear from her face discreetly and she was smiling proudly.

"Now, I think it's time to get this parade started," Chief Branson finished. "Supergirl, lead off!"

Kara grinned, handed back the microphone and started off as the music blared around her, followed by six motorcycle mounted officers in their dress leathers. She walked at a good pace, waving both hands and walking back and forth hugging kids and shaking hands with adults. "Supergirl," she heard in her ear. "So far so good."

"Ok, Detective." She quickly scanned with crowd with her x-ray vision and didn't come up with anything either. "All good on my side too." Kara continued walking and, halfway through the route, she spotted Alex walking near her by the barrier. Her weapon wasn't raised but the hero had a feeling there was something Alex wasn't happy about. "Agent Danvers?"

Alex glanced at her. "Stand by, Supergirl. This doesn't feel right. What's taking him so long?"

They continued on another couple of minutes. Even though the music was loud, Kara could still easily hear the sounds behind the sounds and she suddenly stopped as she distinctly heard the sound of something out of place... "Alex, I heard something…" But it was too late and she saw the grenade as it rolled along the ground several feet from her. Without thinking, she zoomed over to it, grabbed it and threw it as hard as she could straight into the air. It exploded several thousand feet up but people around her started to scream and run and she had to launch herself into the air to hover over the panicked citizens' heads so she could x-ray scan the area for additional grenades. "Did anyone see where it came from?" she yelled.

"No, Supergirl," a man's voice came back. "We have no eyes… no eyes."

And then there was space devoid of people in front of her, except for two. A muscular man with a pair of large black wings stood, holding a child by the arm. "Alex, you got him?"

"I see him," the older Danvers sister replied. "I have a lock on him but you have to get that kid away. If I hit her with this much of the drug, it'll kill her."

Supergirl nodded and slowly descended to touch down a respectable distance from Jack Harris. "Hello, Jack," she began. "That was a clever diversion to get rid of the audience."

"I knew you'd get rid of the grenade in time. I don't want to hurt anyone else but you, Supergirl," the young man replied. He glanced down at the kid then. "But I will if I have to."

The hero took a couple of steps closer. "Hi, Sweetheart," she addressed the child. "What's your name?"

"Laura," she whispered but Kara heard her clearly. "I'm scared. I want my Mom."

"I know, Laura and I promise you'll see her soon." She held out her hand to Jack then. "Whatever it is you want, you can have it. Just please, don't hurt her. She's just a little girl, Jack."

Harris smiled coldly. "I knew this would get your attention, Blondie," he sneered. "You're a sucker for a bleeding heart. Get down on your knees… NOW!"

"Supergirl… don't. That's weak position to fight from…" Alex's voice came through again but Kara held up her hand to silence her.

"Ok, Jack. I'll kneel and you let Laura go, ok? I'll do whatever you say."

For a long second, Jack gazed at her. "Why are you doing this so easily?" he asked.

Kara swallowed and looked down. Then she slowly dropped to one knee. "Because you're right," she replied. "I didn't mean to… and I couldn't help it… but I did let your mother die. I had a split second choice and I could only save two people so I saved the people I loved." Tears rose in her eyes. "And I'm sorry, Jack. I'm sorry I wasn't enough."

The young man dropped the little girl's arm. "Run to your Mom," he told her. "Go now before I change my mind." Laura took off and her mother ran to grab her and pick her up. Kara saw two police officers take them away. "Don't think I have any sympathy for your guilt, Supergirl," Jack stated. "It's time the whole world knows that Supergirl is not perfect."

Kara sighed and chuckled, shaking her head. "The people of National City are well aware that I'm not perfect," she replied. "They know I'm flawed… that I'm just a person like they are… and that I make mistakes… but they support me anyway, Jack. THEY are my strength. THEY are what keeps me going every day and I've sworn to protect them." Kara placed her knuckles on the ground. "Alex, on my mark hit me with one of those darts," she murmured as the young man was momentarily distracted by the sound of approaching sirens.

The ground underneath her knuckles began to vibrate and shake and then tremor but Jack didn't seem to notice. His eyes were full of fury. "Well, it's time for National City to say goodbye to their superhero," he said, pulling out the Kryptonite knife that Director Henshaw had lost to Kara's aunt, Astra, weeks before.

Alex's eyes widened. "Oh my God. How the HELL did he get that?"

The ground underneath Kara's knuckles just shook harder as she pinned Jack with her eyes. "National City may have to say goodbye to their hero… but not today!" she replied angrily. "Alex, NOW!"

Alex fired and Kara shot into motion, catching the dart in midair and plunging it into the young man's neck in a split section action that was too fast for the naked eye to see. A moment later, Jack was out cold and Kara gently laid him on the ground before dropping to her knees and looking down at the knife hilt protruding from her stomach. Her fingers fluttered over it for a moment before she collapsed and rolled onto her back, blinking dazedly.

"KARA!" Alex yelled as she ran to her sister, dropping her weapon and skidding on her knee pads as she reached her.

"Wow… that actually hurts… a lot," Kara groaned, her blue eyes wide and her blood covered hand now clasped around Alex's forearm. The older Danvers sister pulled out her field kit and grabbed some gauze which she used to press down on the wound around the blade. Then she grasped the hilt of the knife.

"Hold on, Kara," she said. "I'm going to have to pull it out."

Supergirl was breathing shallowly from the pain and she closed her eyes. "Just do it," she got out through gritted teeth.

In one smooth motion and wrenching an agonized yell from her sister, Alex pulled the knife out and flung it as far away as she could. One of the other DEO agents immediately grabbed it and placed into a shielded box, killing its ability to further harm Supergirl.

For a long moment, the blonde hero just lay there, trembling, tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and ran into the soft hair at her temple. Alex held her hand and gently smoothed her hair back. "You're going to be ok, Kara. I promise. Just rest now."

Kara nodded but she looked to her right as she heard her name and suddenly Cat was there on the other side of her. "I thought I told you to be careful," the older blonde replied, snippily. "Are we going to have a problem with your following the simplest of instructions, Supergirl?" Then she turned her gaze on Alex. "And you, Agent Danvers. You're going to have to do a better job of taking care of the love of my life here. Are we clear?"

Alex glanced at Kara, whose color was starting to come back now that she was healing, and a large smile spread across her face. "Yes, Ma'am. Crystal."

Supergirl slowly sat up and hugged the two woman. "I love you both," she said. "Very much."

..

Back at Kara's loft, she was being pampered by the two women who loved her. She sighed and relaxed, not feeling one bit guilty for the attention she was getting.

"How are you feeling?" Alex had Kara's sock-covered feet in her lap and was giving her a foot rub. The superhero's upper body was in Cat's lap and she was stroking her hair and rubbing her scalp.

"Much better," the younger Danvers grinned. "I should get hurt more often if I'm going to get this much attention."

"NO!" Alex and Cat exclaimed together, making all three of them laugh.

Kara grabbed a slice of pizza and took a healthy bite. "Yum… and I've even got donuts for dessert! YAY!" Then she frowned. "So do we know how Jack got his hands on that Kryptonite knife? THAT was SO not fair!"

"Not yet," Alex replied. "I did NOT see that one coming. Who could have given it to him? It's so weird."

"And he's not talking?" Cat asked, running her fingers down Kara's neck to her collar bone and making her squirm a little.

Alex shook her head. "Nothing but threats against Supergirl. That dude is NOT well. I think he's come up with more creative ways to kill her than I've ever heard… or even dreamed of… before."

"Hmmm… I wish there was something I could do," Kara said softly. "But I'm not sure that he's ever going to be ready to hear me. Oh hey wait!" She poked her sister's shoulder. "I do believe that you owe me the story of you and Vasquez?" Kara prompted.

"Oooh yes," Cat agreed. "I want to hear this one too."

Alex chuckled. "I think it'll sound familiar," she replied. "It just happened over a long period of time. We talked a lot, we had a couple of drinks together after missions. She kicked my ass over being too protective of you, Kara… literally… in a sparring match." She shook her head and took a sip from her glass of wine. "I just fell in love so subtly, I didn't even realize it was happening."

Kara laced her fingers through Cat's and brought them to her lips, looking into her eyes. "A familiar story indeed," she murmured and the older blonde smiled.

"A veritable fairy tale… happy ending and all," Cat added.

Alex picked up her glass and offered a toast. "To love."

"CHEERS!"

The End.


End file.
